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Cited by 109Health Literacy and Information AccessibilityPsychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsImpact of Technology on Adolescents

The DOI matches its Crossref record, with a small difference in title or year; 96 of the 96 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Self-esteem and cyberchondria: The mediation effects of health anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms in a community sample

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Bajcar, Beata, Babiak, Jolanta·2021·Current Psychology
DOI 10.1007/s12144-019-00216-x
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Abstract

Cyberchondria refers to the excessive and repeated searching for medical information on the Internet and may be considered as health-related problematic Internet use. Previous findings indicated that cyberchondria is positively associated with health anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms. Also, research suggests that excessive or problematic Internet use as well as health worries and compulsive behaviors are present among individuals with low self-esteem. This study sought to examine: (1) the association between self-esteem and cyberchondria, and (2) the mediating role of health anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms in the relationship between self-esteem and cyberchondria. Participants ( N = 207) from a community sample completed self-report measures assessing global self-esteem, health anxiety, obsessive–compulsive symptoms, and cyberchondria. We found that self-esteem directly predicted cyberchondria and that health anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms parallelly mediated the relationship between self-esteem and cyberchondria. These findings suggest that low self-esteem, health anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms can be considered vulnerability factors for cyberchondria. In addition, the reverse mediation model indicated that cyberchondria potentially predicts self-esteem both directly and through health anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms. The bidirectional relationship among the analyzed variables are discussed in the context of potential psychological predictors and consequences of cyberchondria and possible mechanisms explaining cyberchondria. The current study provides further insight into the conceptualization of cyberchondria and the feasibility of specific treatment directions.

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  1. Dzwonkowska, I., Lachowicz-Tabaczek, K., & Łaguna, M. (2007). Samoocena i jej pomiar. Polska adaptacja skali SES M. Rosenberga. Podręcznik. [Self-esteem and its measurement. Polish adaptation of M. Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale SES. Manual]. Warszawa: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych.

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Metadata

Authors
Bajcar, B., & Babiak, J.
Affiliations
Wrocław University of Science and Technology (PL)
Corresponding author
Bajcar, Beata
ORCID
Venue
Current Psychology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-03-11
Volume
40
Issue
6
Pages
2820-2831
ISSN
  • 1046-1310 (ISSN-L)
  • 1936-4733
DOI
10.1007/s12144-019-00216-x
OpenAlex
W2922279205
Cited by
109
References
96
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 9
FWCI
14.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Current Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Keywords
cyberchondria, self-esteem, health anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, problematic internet use, mediation, bidirectional relationship, vulnerability factors, health information seeking

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