Beata Bajcar|Jolanta Babiak
Self-esteem and cyberchondria: The mediation effects of health anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms in a community sample
Wroc?aw University of Science and Technology|AGH University of Krakow|Wroc?aw University of Science and Technology|AGH University of Krakow
abstract cyberchondria refers excessive repeated searching medical information internet may considered healthrelated problematic internet use previous findings indicated cyberchondria positively associated health anxiety obsessivecompulsive symptoms also research suggests excessive problematic internet use well health worries compulsive behaviors present among individuals low selfesteem study sought examine 1 association selfesteem cyberchondria 2 mediating role health anxiety obsessivecompulsive symptoms relationship selfesteem cyberchondria participants n 207 community sample completed selfreport measures assessing global selfesteem health anxiety obsessivecompulsive symptoms cyberchondria found selfesteem directly predicted cyberchondria health anxiety obsessivecompulsive symptoms parallelly mediated relationship selfesteem cyberchondria findings suggest low selfesteem health anxiety obsessivecompulsive symptoms considered vulnerability factors cyberchondria addition reverse mediation model indicated cyberchondria potentially predicts selfesteem directly health anxiety obsessivecompulsive symptoms bidirectional relationship among analyzed variables discussed context potential psychological predictors consequences cyberchondria possible mechanisms explaining cyberchondria current study provides insight conceptualization cyberchondria feasibility specific treatment directions