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Cyberchondria as a Digital Predictor of Illness Anxiety Disorder among University Students in Jordan: Evidence from Structural Equation Modeling |
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PP: 687-700 |
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doi:10.18576/jsap/150322
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Author(s) |
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Yahya, M. Khatatbeh,
Rawan Abdul Mahdi Neyef Al-Saliti,
Bandar S. Alzahrain,
Mohammad A. Tashtoush,
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Abstract |
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| Cyberchondria has emerged as a growing digital health concern, characterized by excessive online health
information seeking that may exacerbate health-related anxiety among university students. This study aimed to examine cyberchondria as a digital predictor of illness anxiety disorder among university students using a structural equation modeling approach. A quantitative cross-sectional predictive correlational design was employed. The study involved 255 university students selected through convenience sampling. The researchers used a structured questionnaire containing a 33 item Cyberchondria Scale and a 14 item Illness Anxiety Scale to collect data. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to assess the validity of the proposed model. The results showed a significant positive relationship between cyberchondria and illness anxiety. All components of cyberchondria were positively associated with illness anxiety, with distrust of medical advice emerging as the strongest related factor. The structural model demonstrated good fit with the data (CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.05), indicating that the proposed model adequately represents the data. Furthermore, cyberchondria was found to be a significant predictor of illness anxiety. In contrast, demographic variables did not show any statistically significant effects. Cyberchondria functions as a major online predictor of illness anxiety among university students. The results suggest that health-related anxiety can be reduced by addressing problematic online health information-seeking behaviors and by improving digital health literacy skills. Targeted initiatives aimed at enhancing digital health literacy among students and reducing excessive online health
information seeking should be implemented. |
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