Vismara Matteo, Vitella Daniele, Biolcati Roberta, Ambrosini Federica, Pirola Veronica, Dell'Osso Bernardo, Truzoli Roberto
Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "Luigi Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
"Aldo Ravelli" Center for Neurotechnology and Brain Therapeutic, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Front Psychiatry. 2021 Oct 12;12:754870. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.754870. eCollection 2021.
The Internet has become one of the most common sources people use to search for health-related information, a behavior rapidly increased during the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study aimed to investigate behavioral patterns in the online health-related searches and Cyberchondria (CYB) during the COVID-19 pandemic time, in order to explore socio-demographic and psychopathological factors related to CYB. During the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, a cross-sectional online survey collected the main socio-demographic variables and habits related to Internet use of 572 participants. CYB was measured by the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Version and different psychopathological factors were measured by specific questionnaires: the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, the Meta-Cognitions about Health Questionnaire, the Internet Addiction Test, the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Questionnaire-Short Version, the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF. Descriptives, non-parametric ANOVAs, and Spearman correlations were performed. In the present sample, the Internet was the main source participants used to search for health-related information and nearly one-third increased this habit during the pandemic. Higher expression of CYB emerged in females, in younger participants, in students, and in those suffering from a physical/psychiatric illness. CYB showed a positive correlation with different phenomenology of anxiety (i.e., anxiety about COVID-19, health anxiety, general anxiety, metacognitive believes about anxiety) and with depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and problematic usage of the Internet. Conversely, quality of life and self-esteem showed a negative correlation with CYB. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the Internet for health-related information and CYB contribute to the psychological stress affecting individuals and society. Delineating subjects more vulnerable to CYB and associated psychopathological factors will help to elaborate operational indications for prevention and psychological support.
互联网已成为人们搜索健康相关信息最常用的来源之一，这种行为在2019年新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）期间迅速增加。本研究旨在调查COVID-19大流行期间在线健康相关搜索行为模式及网络疑病症（CYB），以探索与网络疑病症相关的社会人口统计学和精神病理学因素。在意大利COVID-19大流行的第三波期间，一项横断面在线调查收集了572名参与者的主要社会人口统计学变量以及与互联网使用相关的习惯。通过网络疑病症严重程度量表简版测量网络疑病症，通过特定问卷测量不同的精神病理学因素：冠状病毒焦虑量表、医院焦虑抑郁量表、简短健康焦虑量表、健康元认知问卷、网络成瘾测试、莫兹利强迫观念-强迫行为问卷简版、罗森伯格自尊量表以及世界卫生组织生活质量简表。进行了描述性统计、非参数方差分析和斯皮尔曼相关性分析。在本样本中，互联网是参与者搜索健康相关信息的主要来源，近三分之一的人在大流行期间增加了这一习惯。女性、年轻参与者、学生以及患有身体/精神疾病的人网络疑病症表现更为明显。网络疑病症与不同类型的焦虑（即对COVID-19的焦虑、健康焦虑、一般焦虑、对焦虑的元认知信念）以及抑郁、强迫症状和互联网使用问题呈正相关。相反，生活质量和自尊与网络疑病症呈负相关。在COVID-19大流行期间，利用互联网获取健康相关信息及网络疑病症加剧了影响个人和社会的心理压力。确定更容易出现网络疑病症的人群及相关精神病理学因素将有助于制定预防和心理支持的操作指南。
