Research Article: The Moderating Role of Health Literacy and Health Promoting Behavior in the Relationship Among Health Anxiety, Emotional Regulation, and Cyberchondria
Abstract:
There has been a notable rise in the proportion of adult individuals who utilize the internet to search for health-related information. Increasing numbers of people rely on the internet as their primary source of health-related information today. Individuals augment medical diagnoses with self-diagnoses based on online information. Using the internet to obtain health information can increase health awareness, but there are hazards involved. Excessive searching for health information online can cause stress and anxiety. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “cyberchondria” and it is characterized by severe health problems associated with obsessive-compulsive behaviors and excessive internet use. According to a global survey, between % and % of internet consumers have sought health information online. It is worth noting that not all cases of looking for information about one’s symptoms necessarily signify the presence of cyberchondria. It is natural for people to be concerned about their health. The issue arises when an excessive amount of disease-related worry and information-seeking disrupt daily functioning. According to Doherty-Torstrick et al, cyberchondria—an excessive search on the internet for medical conditions and symptoms—increases severe health anxiety and has the potential to develop into a dispositional trait. There are two aspects to cyberchondria, according to McElroy et al the behavioral aspect, which deals with how people look up information about diseases and attempt to calm themselves, and the emotional aspect, which deals with the fear or anxiety that results from searching and the inability to control one’s behavior.
Introduction:
There has been a notable rise in the proportion of adult individuals who utilize the internet to search for health-related information. Increasing numbers of people rely on the internet as their primary source of health-related information today. Individuals augment medical diagnoses with self-diagnoses based on online information. Using the internet to obtain health information can increase health awareness, but there are hazards involved. Excessive searching for health information online can cause stress and…
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