Cyberchondria and Health Anxiety Among College Students of Selected College in Bareilly, U.P.

The internet has become an important source of health-related information. People can rapidly search for symptoms, diseases, treatment options and preventive information. Although online health information can support health awareness, repeated or excessive searching may be associated with worry, distress and health anxiety. Cyberchondria has been described as excessive or repeated online searching for health information that is associated with increased distress or anxiety.[1]

Research has demonstrated an association between health anxiety, online health-information seeking and cyberchondria. A systematic review and meta-analysis found a positive relationship between health anxiety and cyberchondria.[2] A systematic review of cyberchondria research also highlighted the developing nature of the construct and the need for further research using validated measures.[3] Indian research has also begun to examine cyberchondria and its severity in adults, indicating the relevance of the topic in the Indian context.[4]

The Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) was developed to assess several dimensions of cyberchondria, including compulsion, distress, excessiveness, reassurance seeking and mistrust of medical professionals.[5] The Health Anxiety Inventory was developed as a measure of health anxiety and hypochondriasis and includes short forms suitable for brief assessment.[6]

College students are an important population because of their frequent use of smartphones, search engines and social media. The present study was therefore undertaken to assess cyberchondria and health anxiety among college students of a selected college in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, and to examine the relationship between these two variables.

OBJECTIVES

1. To assess the level of cyberchondria among college students.

2. To assess the level of health anxiety among college students.

3. To find the correlation between cyberchondria and health anxiety among college students.

4. To determine the association between cyberchondria, health anxiety and selected socio-demographic variables.

HYPOTHESES

H1: There is a significant relationship between cyberchondria and health anxiety among college students.

H2: There is a significant association between the level of cyberchondria and selected socio-demographic variables.

H3: There is a significant association between the level of health anxiety and selected socio-demographic variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Research approach and design: A quantitative research approach and descriptive correlational research design were used.

Setting: The study was conducted at Mascot College of Education, Rithora, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Participants and sampling: The study included 100 undergraduate college students aged 17–25 years. Participants were selected by non-probability convenience sampling.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria: Students aged 17–25 years who had access to the internet/social media and were willing to participate were included. Students reported in the dissertation as having a history of psychiatric illness or chronic illness were excluded.

Data collection tools: Section A collected socio-demographic information including age, gender, course, residence, type of family and marital status. Section B consisted of a 33-item Cyberchondria Severity Scale, scored from 1 to 5, with a total possible score of 33–165. Section C consisted of an 18-item Short Health Anxiety Inventory, with each item scored from 0 to 3 and a total possible score of 0–54. The instruments are grounded in published work on cyberchondria and health anxiety.[5,6]

Validity and reliability: Content validity was established through expert review. The dissertation reports Spearman–Brown split-half reliability of r=0.86 after pilot testing.

Data collection and analysis: Permission and informed written consent were obtained. Data were organized in a master sheet and analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Karl Pearson’s correlation coefficient and chi-square test. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Table 1: Socio-demographic Characteristics of Participants (N=100)

Table 2: Level of Cyberchondria and Health Anxiety Among Participants (N=100)

Table 3: Mean, Standard Deviation and Correlation Between Cyberchondria and Health Anxiety

The findings showed a positive correlation between cyberchondria and health anxiety (r=0.70, p=0.01). Based on the reported p-value, the relationship was statistically significant at the 0.05 level.

Table 4: Association of Cyberchondria with Selected Socio-Demographic Variables

Table 5: Association of Health Anxiety with Selected Socio-Demographic Variables

DISCUSSION

The present study assessed cyberchondria and health anxiety among 100 college students. High cyberchondria was reported in 39% of participants, while 40% had high health anxiety. The findings indicate that all three reported levels—low, moderate and high—were represented in the study population.

A positive correlation was reported between cyberchondria and health anxiety (r=0.70, p=0.01). This direction is consistent with previous literature describing a positive relationship between health anxiety and cyberchondria.[2,3] The present result should, however, be interpreted within the selected college, sample size and convenience-sampling context.

Cyberchondria showed statistically significant associations with gender, course and marital status, whereas age, residence and type of family were not statistically significant according to the reported analysis. Health anxiety showed statistically significant associations with gender and course, while age, residence, type of family and marital status were reported as not significant.

The findings support the importance of responsible online health-information use and health education among college students. However, the cross-sectional and single-setting design does not establish a causal relationship between cyberchondria and health anxiety.

CONCLUSION

The study found that cyberchondria and health anxiety were present at low, moderate and high levels among the 100 participating college students. The largest proportion of participants had high cyberchondria (39%) and high health anxiety (40%). A statistically significant positive correlation was reported between cyberchondria and health anxiety (r=0.70, p=0.01). Significant associations were reported for selected socio-demographic variables. These findings highlight the relevance of health education concerning reliable online health information and appropriate health-care consultation among college students.

IMPLICATIONS

Nursing education and college health programmes may include guidance on evaluating online health information, avoiding repeated symptom searching, recognising health-related worry and seeking appropriate professional advice when required. Further studies with larger samples and multiple college settings may provide broader evidence.

LIMITATIONS

The study was conducted in one selected college in Bareilly with 100 participants and used convenience sampling. Therefore, the findings should not be generalized beyond similar populations without further research. The descriptive correlational design identifies association but does not establish causation.

REFERENCES

1. Starcevic V, Berle D. Cyberchondria: towards a better understanding of excessive health-related Internet use. Expert Rev Neurother. 2013;13 (2):205-213. doi:10.1586/ern.12.162.
2. McMullan RD, Berle D, Arnáez S, Starcevic V. The relationships between health anxiety, online health information seeking, and cyberchondria: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2019;245:270-278. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.037.
3. Vismara M, Caricasole V, Starcevic V, Cinosi E, Dell'Osso B, Martinotti G, et al. Is cyberchondria a new transdiagnostic digital compulsive syndrome? A systematic review of the evidence. Compr Psychiatry. 2020;99:152167. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152167.
4. Vemuri TI, Prusty B. Prevalence and manifestation of cyberchondria in Indian adults. Int J Indian Psychol. 2025;13 (2):1078-1093. doi:10.25215/1302.096.
5. McElroy E, Shevlin M. The development and initial validation of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS). J Anxiety Disord. 2014;28 (2):259-265. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.12.007.
6. Salkovskis PM, Rimes KA, Warwick HMC, Clark DM. The Health Anxiety Inventory: development and validation of scales for the measurement of health anxiety and hypochondriasis. Psychol Med. 2002;32 (5):843-853. doi:10.1017/S0033291702005822.