Abstract
References
- 1.https://ginasthma.org/2024-report/
- 2.Fergus TA. Cyberchondria and intolerance ofuncertainty: examining when individualsexperience health anxiety in response to Internetsearches for medical information. CyberpsycholBehav Soc Netw. 2013;16(10):735-9.
- 3.Blackburn J, Fischerauer SF, Talaei-Khoei M, et al.What are the Implications of Excessive InternetSearches for Medical Information by OrthopaedicPatients? Clin Orthop Relat Res.2019;477(12):2665-2673.
- 4.Starcevic V. Cyberchondria: Challenges ofProblematic Online Searches for Health-RelatedInformation. Psychother Psychosom.2017;86(3):129-33.
- 5.Kan A, Kartal G, Öztürk M. Factors Affecting Levelsof Cyberchondria in Mothers of Children with FoodAllergies. Eastern J Med. 2023; 28(1): 172-8.
- 6.Güleşen A, Beydağ KD. Cryberchondria Level inWomen with Heart Disease and Affecting Factors.Arc Health Sci Res 2020; 7(1): 1-7.
- 7.Jokic-Begic N, Lauri Korajlija A, Mikac U.Cyberchondria in the age of COVID-19. PLoS One.2020;15(12):e0243704.
- 8.Ottenhoff JSE, Kortlever JTP, Teunis T, Ring D.Factors Associated With Quality of OnlineInformation on Trapeziometacarpal Arthritis. JHand Surg Am. 2018;43(10):889-96.e5.
- 9.Hart J, Björgvinsson T. Health anxiety andhypochondriasis: Description and treatment issueshighlighted through a case illustration. BullMenninger Clin. 2010;74(2):122-40.
- 10.Turkiewicz KL. The impact of cyberchondria ondoctor-patient communication (DoctoralDissertation). Milwaukee: The University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA; 2012.
- 11.Güzel S, Özer Z. Cyberchondria Levels andAffecting Factors in Heart Patients. Turk JCardiovasc Nurs. 2021;12(27):36-46.
- 12.Tüter DM. Evaluation of the level ofcyberchondria and related factors in patientsadmitted to the family medicine outpatient clinic)(Specialization Thesis in Medicine). İstanbul:University of Health Sciences; 2019. pp:18-41.
- 13.Khazaal Y, Chatton A, Rochat L, et al. CompulsiveHealth-Related Internet Use and Cyberchondria. EurAddict Res. 2021;27(1):58-66.
- 14.Ishikawa H, Kiuchi T. Health literacy and healthcommunication. Biopsychosoc Med. 2010;4:18
- 15.Doherty-Torstrick ER, Walton KE, Fallon BA.Cyberchondria: Parsing Health Anxiety From OnlineBehavior. Psychosomatics. 2016;57(4):390-400.
- 16.Singh K, Brown RJ. Health-related internet habits and health anxiety in university students. AnxietyStress Coping. 2014;27(5):542-54.
- 17.Rice RE. Influences, usage, and outcomes ofInternet health information searching: multivariateresults from the Pew surveys. Int J Med Inform.2006;75(1):8-28.
- 18.Baumgartner SE, Hartmann T. The role of healthanxiety in online health information search.Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2011;14(10):613-8.
- 19.Altındiş S, İnci MB, Aslan FG, Altındiş M.Üniversite Çalışanlarında Siberkondria Düzeyleri veİlişkili Faktörlerin İncelenmesi. Sakarya Tıp Dergisi.2018;8(2):359-70.
- 20.Erdoğan T, Aydemir Y, Aydın A, et al. İnternet veTelevizyonda Sağlık Bilgisi Arama Davranışı veİlişkili Faktörler. Sakarya Tıp Dergisi. 2020;10(ÖzelSayı):1-10.
- 21.Deniz S. Bireylerin E-Sağlık Okuryazarlığı veSiberkondri Düzeylerinin İncelenmesi. İnsan veİnsan Dergisi. 2020;7(24):84-96.
- 22.Uzun SU, Zencir M. Cyberchondria level andaffecting factors in Pamukkale Universityemployees. Eskişehir Türk Dünyası Uygulama veAraştırma Merkezi Halk Sağlığı Dergisi. 2022;7(2):257-68.
- 23.Barke A, Bleichhardt G, Rief W, Doering BK. TheCyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS): GermanValidation and Development of a Short Form. Int JBehav Med. 2016; 23(5):595-605.
- 24.Beken B, Celik V, Gokmirza Ozdemir P, et al.Maternal anxiety and internet-based foodelimination in suspected food allergy. PediatrAllergy Immunol. 2019;30(7):752-9.
Abstract
Objective: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. The term cyberchondria emphasizes excessive online health searches associated with increased distress or anxiety. Parents, especially pediatric patients, are responsible for managing the disease process. In this study, we examined the level of cyberchondria in families of asthmatic children and the factors affecting this level.
Methods: Sixty asthma patients and their parents, aged 1-18 years, followed up with a diagnosis of asthma in the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology outpatient clinic between 14.04.2022 and 01.01.2023, were included. In addition, 60 parents of healthy children without chronic disease were also included as a control group. The parents’ cyberchondria severity levels of both groups were compared.
Results: The median age of the asthma group was seven years. 45.6% of the patients were male. The mean cyberchondria severity score of the patient group was statistically significantly higher than that of the control group participants (p=0.02). A low-medium significant relationship was found between cyberchondria severity and the frequency of weekly internet access (p=0.009, r=0.35). In addition, there was a significant statistical correlation between cyberchondria severity and mother's education level (r=0.21, p=0.02) and father's education level (r=0.19, p=0.04). The cyberchondria severity score was higher in the group who wanted medical examinations other than the physician's recommendation (p=0.005).
Conclusions: Parents with high cyberchondria severity experience more distress during chronic disease. If the parents' cyberchondria severity can be evaluated and determined promptly, their anxiety levels may be reduced with the necessary psychosocial support. Thus, trust in the physician and compliance with the treatment process can be increased. For this reason, the cyberchondria severity levels of parents with asthmatic children should be determined in time, and necessary psychosocial support should be provided.
Keywords
References
- 1.https://ginasthma.org/2024-report/
- 2.Fergus TA. Cyberchondria and intolerance ofuncertainty: examining when individualsexperience health anxiety in response to Internetsearches for medical information. CyberpsycholBehav Soc Netw. 2013;16(10):735-9.
- 3.Blackburn J, Fischerauer SF, Talaei-Khoei M, et al.What are the Implications of Excessive InternetSearches for Medical Information by OrthopaedicPatients? Clin Orthop Relat Res.2019;477(12):2665-2673.
- 4.Starcevic V. Cyberchondria: Challenges ofProblematic Online Searches for Health-RelatedInformation. Psychother Psychosom.2017;86(3):129-33.
- 5.Kan A, Kartal G, Öztürk M. Factors Affecting Levelsof Cyberchondria in Mothers of Children with FoodAllergies. Eastern J Med. 2023; 28(1): 172-8.
- 6.Güleşen A, Beydağ KD. Cryberchondria Level inWomen with Heart Disease and Affecting Factors.Arc Health Sci Res 2020; 7(1): 1-7.
- 7.Jokic-Begic N, Lauri Korajlija A, Mikac U.Cyberchondria in the age of COVID-19. PLoS One.2020;15(12):e0243704.
- 8.Ottenhoff JSE, Kortlever JTP, Teunis T, Ring D.Factors Associated With Quality of OnlineInformation on Trapeziometacarpal Arthritis. JHand Surg Am. 2018;43(10):889-96.e5.
- 9.Hart J, Björgvinsson T. Health anxiety andhypochondriasis: Description and treatment issueshighlighted through a case illustration. BullMenninger Clin. 2010;74(2):122-40.
- 10.Turkiewicz KL. The impact of cyberchondria ondoctor-patient communication (DoctoralDissertation). Milwaukee: The University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA; 2012.
- 11.Güzel S, Özer Z. Cyberchondria Levels andAffecting Factors in Heart Patients. Turk JCardiovasc Nurs. 2021;12(27):36-46.
- 12.Tüter DM. Evaluation of the level ofcyberchondria and related factors in patientsadmitted to the family medicine outpatient clinic)(Specialization Thesis in Medicine). İstanbul:University of Health Sciences; 2019. pp:18-41.
- 13.Khazaal Y, Chatton A, Rochat L, et al. CompulsiveHealth-Related Internet Use and Cyberchondria. EurAddict Res. 2021;27(1):58-66.
- 14.Ishikawa H, Kiuchi T. Health literacy and healthcommunication. Biopsychosoc Med. 2010;4:18
- 15.Doherty-Torstrick ER, Walton KE, Fallon BA.Cyberchondria: Parsing Health Anxiety From OnlineBehavior. Psychosomatics. 2016;57(4):390-400.
- 16.Singh K, Brown RJ. Health-related internet habits and health anxiety in university students. AnxietyStress Coping. 2014;27(5):542-54.
- 17.Rice RE. Influences, usage, and outcomes ofInternet health information searching: multivariateresults from the Pew surveys. Int J Med Inform.2006;75(1):8-28.
- 18.Baumgartner SE, Hartmann T. The role of healthanxiety in online health information search.Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2011;14(10):613-8.
- 19.Altındiş S, İnci MB, Aslan FG, Altındiş M.Üniversite Çalışanlarında Siberkondria Düzeyleri veİlişkili Faktörlerin İncelenmesi. Sakarya Tıp Dergisi.2018;8(2):359-70.
- 20.Erdoğan T, Aydemir Y, Aydın A, et al. İnternet veTelevizyonda Sağlık Bilgisi Arama Davranışı veİlişkili Faktörler. Sakarya Tıp Dergisi. 2020;10(ÖzelSayı):1-10.
- 21.Deniz S. Bireylerin E-Sağlık Okuryazarlığı veSiberkondri Düzeylerinin İncelenmesi. İnsan veİnsan Dergisi. 2020;7(24):84-96.
- 22.Uzun SU, Zencir M. Cyberchondria level andaffecting factors in Pamukkale Universityemployees. Eskişehir Türk Dünyası Uygulama veAraştırma Merkezi Halk Sağlığı Dergisi. 2022;7(2):257-68.
- 23.Barke A, Bleichhardt G, Rief W, Doering BK. TheCyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS): GermanValidation and Development of a Short Form. Int JBehav Med. 2016; 23(5):595-605.
- 24.Beken B, Celik V, Gokmirza Ozdemir P, et al.Maternal anxiety and internet-based foodelimination in suspected food allergy. PediatrAllergy Immunol. 2019;30(7):752-9.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Medical Education, Health Services and Systems (Other) |
| Journal Section | Original Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 20, 2025 |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | May 14, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 52 Issue: 2 |
