Cyberchondria Severity and Self Esteem in Adolescents Densities

ISBN: 979-8-89480-841-3


TCyberchondria is defined as the obsessive usage of the internet to research health symptoms, often leading to increased health anxiety. (1,2) Additionally, there exists little research between cyber chondria and self-esteem, two constructs that share associations to other conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and health anxiety, in the United States. Globally, there exists a notable gap in adolescent-focused research in this field, and as younger generations are becoming increasingly reliant on the internet, it can heighten their risk for cyberchondria. (3) This study aimed to investigate the association between cyberchondria and self-esteem in suburban American high school adolescents. Data was collected via an online survey distributed through Google Classroom. Participants provided information on sex, grade-level, daily smartphone usage, and number of advanced level classes taken. Following that, the CSS-12 and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem test were conducted to measure cyberchondria and self-esteem levels. Analysis was conducted using the JASP software, with various comparative statistical tests. The relationship between cyberchondria and self-esteem remained significant and prevalent in adolescents. However, none of the demographic or academic variables assessed were significantly related to either construct. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how cyberchondria relates to self-esteem in American adolescents and highlight differences between trends observed in adults, and ones observed in children.

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