The DOI matches its Crossref record; 26 of the 26 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Problematic Internet Use and Internet Searches for Medical Information: The Role of Health Anxiety
Abstract
Individuals frequently use the Internet to search for medical information. For some individuals, repeated searches for medical information on the Internet exacerbate health anxiety. Researchers have termed this phenomenon "cyberchondria" and have suggested that cyberchondria might relate to the excessive use of the Internet for other purposes as well. The present study examined associations among Internet searches for medical information, health anxiety, and problematic Internet use (PIU) using a large sample of medically healthy community adults located in the United States (N=430). As predicted, respondents who experienced increased health anxiety following Internet searches for medical information reported significantly greater PIU than respondents for whom such searches either had no impact on or decreased their health anxiety. This effect was not attributable to the frequency of health-related online searching behavior or negative affect. Conceptual and therapeutic implications are discussed.
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In the citing paper
“CYB appears to be a particularly compulsive form of PUI focused on health concerns [50,51].”
From Is cyberchondria a new transdiagnostic digital compulsive syndrome? A systematic review of the evidence (2020) · cites this paper as [51]
In the citing paper
“Individuals experiencing increased HA because of health-related internet use reported significantly greater levels of problematic internet use (mean 25.35, SD 11.58) compared with individuals experiencing no impact on (mean 18.63, SD 10.56; Cohen d=0.61; P<.01) or a decrease in HA (mean 21.76, SD 10.43; Cohen d=0.33; P<.01).”
From Conceptualizations of cyberchondria and relations to the anxiety spectrum: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [30]
In the citing paper
“These group differences stayed robust even after controlling for the frequency of health-related internet use and negative affect.”
From Conceptualizations of cyberchondria and relations to the anxiety spectrum: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [30]
In the citing paper
“In addition, about one-third of individuals in general population samples stated that they felt increased anxiety after health-related internet use (31.4% [30]; 38.5% [91]).”
From Conceptualizations of cyberchondria and relations to the anxiety spectrum: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [30]
In the citing paper
“Fergus and Dolan [30] stated that 40.7% of their sample experienced reduced HA after health-related internet use.”
From Conceptualizations of cyberchondria and relations to the anxiety spectrum: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [30]
Citations
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Cited by
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Effects of Compulsive Internet Use on Health Anxiety: A Mediation ModelPreprint
Lin, W., & Su, N. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3748060/v1
الخصائص السيكومترية للصورة المختصرة لمقياس اضطراب السايبركوندريا في البيئة السعودية
العبدلى, ع. ا. ق., & المطرف, ا. ب. ع. ا. (2024) · مجلة الإرشاد النفسی · doi:10.21608/cpc.2024.353799
Hubungan Health Anxiety dan Cyberchondria: Sebuah Tinjauan Literatur Naratif
Gayatri, P. A., & Ariana, A. D. (2024) · Buletin Riset Psikologi dan Kesehatan Mental (BRPKM) · doi:10.20473/brpkm.v4i1.53847 · Cited by 1
“Dalam konteks ini, penelitian telah menunjukkan bahwa mencari informasi kesehatan dapat meningkatkan distress dan ketidakpastian tentang kondisi yang ditakuti seseorang (Doherty-Torstrick dkk., 2016; Fergus & Dolan, 2014; Singh & Brown, 2014).”
BackgroundPanzeri, A., Bottesi, G., Vieno, A., Spada, M. M., Ghisi, M., Fin, V., & Marino, C. (2025) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-7196510/v1
Examination of the relationship between adults’ sleep quality and cyberchondria levels
Ali, M. M. M., Köse, S., Vitale, E., & Chang, Y.-C. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-026-09237-9
“In the study of Fergus and Dolan (2014), 31.4% of the subjects experienced anxiety while searching on the Internet ( n = 430) (Fergus & Dolan, 2014).”
InfluentialKożybska, M., Radlińska, I., & Karakiewicz, B. (2026) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-026-08098-7
“In a study by Fegrus & Dolan, respondents who experienced increased health anxiety after searching for medical information on the Internet reported significantly higher PIU [79].”
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Googling adenomyosis: a systematic review of internet-based information
de Araujo, B. P., Suzart, C., Benetti‐Pinto, C. L., & Yela, D. A. (2026) · Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira · doi:10.1590/1806-9282.20251982
Bilgiç, F. Ş., & Karaahmet, A. Y. (2026) · Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) · doi:10.1007/s11845-026-04637-z
Zhu, Y., Pan, X., Song, T., Yang, K., Chen, J., & Wu, X. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107872
Bulduk, B., Bulduk, M., Can, V., ÜREN, Y., & Atan, G. (2026) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2026.10.028
Metadata
- Authors
- Fergus, T. A., & Dolan, S. L.
- Affiliations
- Baylor University (US)
- Venue
- Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-12
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 761-765
- ISSN
- 2152-2715 (ISSN-L)
- 2152-2723
- OpenAlex
- W2051318853
- Cited by
- 112
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 6.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Keywords
- problematic internet use, cyberchondria, health anxiety, excessive internet use
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Education, Humans, Hypochondriasis, Male, Middle Aged, Statistics as Topic, United States, Utilization Review, Behavior, Addictive, Disease Progression, Internet, Consumer Health Information, Young Adult, Health Literacy
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