Searching for Health Information on the Internet; Determining the Relationship Between Nurses’ Cyberchondria Levels, Health Anxiety, and Effective Factors

Abstract

Objective: Rapid technological developments have increased the search for health-related information on the internet. It has also affected nurses, who have high concerns about diseases due to the nature of their profession. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between nurses’ cyberchondria levels and health anxiety and the influencing factors. Method: Health anxiety inventory and cyberchondria severity scale were used as data collection tools in this study conducted with 388 nurses working in a state hospital in Turkey. The t-test, One-Way ANOVA, correlation, and logistic regression analyses were used in the data analysis. Results: It was determined that the total score of the nurses on the health anxiety scale was 26.34±2.66 and the total mean score of the nurses on the cyberchondria severity scale was 34.92±3.77. A high positive correlation was found between cyberchondria and health anxiety (ρ=0.986; p=0.013). It was found that demographic variables significantly predicted cyberchondria scale scores and health anxiety. Conclusion: Because of the analysis, it was determined that the health anxiety and cyberchondria severity of the nurses participating in the study were moderate. It is thought that nurses’ professional knowledge and awareness of diseases increase their health anxiety, and they conduct more research on health problems via the internet. Considering the prevalence of internet use today, it is recommended to plan in-service training on internet literacy for nurses.

Keywords

• cyberchondria
• health anxiety
• nurse
• online search
• health information