Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young Adults
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant increase in online health information-seeking (HIS) behavior, leading to increased levels of psychological distress. Objective: This study examines whether proactive, preventive, and avoidance coping styles hinder or promote cyberchon...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.jmhhb.org/article.asp?issn=0971-8990;year=2023;volume=28;issue=1;spage=95;epage=99;aulast=Sam |
| _version_ | 1827861872797286400 |
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| author | Kathryn Nicole Sam P Nupur Jain H B Arpitha Tanvi Raghuram Advaith Jaikumar Rituparna Chakraborty Santhosh Kareepadath Rajan |
| author_facet | Kathryn Nicole Sam P Nupur Jain H B Arpitha Tanvi Raghuram Advaith Jaikumar Rituparna Chakraborty Santhosh Kareepadath Rajan |
| author_sort | Kathryn Nicole Sam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant increase in online health information-seeking (HIS) behavior, leading to increased levels of psychological distress. Objective: This study examines whether proactive, preventive, and avoidance coping styles hinder or promote cyberchondria, anxiety characterized by excessive online HIS behavior during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: The sample included 286 Indian young adults who responded to the Proactive Coping Inventory and Cyberchondria Severity Scale-12. The data were collected after the rapid spread of COVID-19 in India. Results: The correlation analysis revealed that proactive coping had a weak negative relationship with cyberchondria, while avoidance coping had a weak positive relationship. Regression analysis showed proactive coping as an inverse predictor of cyberchondria. Conclusions: This study was one of the few that examined the relationship between coping and cyberchondria during the pandemic. The findings provide a foundation for future research on cyberchondria in collectivistic cultures like India. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:45:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b819b4ded4844f78a8c70f33acd9c1c3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0971-8990 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:45:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour |
| spelling | doaj.art-b819b4ded4844f78a8c70f33acd9c1c32023-08-23T09:42:52ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour0971-89902023-01-01281959910.4103/jmhhb.jmhhb_225_22Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young AdultsKathryn Nicole SamP Nupur JainH B ArpithaTanvi RaghuramAdvaith JaikumarRituparna ChakrabortySanthosh Kareepadath RajanBackground: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant increase in online health information-seeking (HIS) behavior, leading to increased levels of psychological distress. Objective: This study examines whether proactive, preventive, and avoidance coping styles hinder or promote cyberchondria, anxiety characterized by excessive online HIS behavior during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: The sample included 286 Indian young adults who responded to the Proactive Coping Inventory and Cyberchondria Severity Scale-12. The data were collected after the rapid spread of COVID-19 in India. Results: The correlation analysis revealed that proactive coping had a weak negative relationship with cyberchondria, while avoidance coping had a weak positive relationship. Regression analysis showed proactive coping as an inverse predictor of cyberchondria. Conclusions: This study was one of the few that examined the relationship between coping and cyberchondria during the pandemic. The findings provide a foundation for future research on cyberchondria in collectivistic cultures like India.http://www.jmhhb.org/article.asp?issn=0971-8990;year=2023;volume=28;issue=1;spage=95;epage=99;aulast=Samcoping stylescovid-19cyberchondriahealth information-seeking |
| spellingShingle | Kathryn Nicole Sam P Nupur Jain H B Arpitha Tanvi Raghuram Advaith Jaikumar Rituparna Chakraborty Santhosh Kareepadath Rajan Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young Adults Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour coping styles covid-19 cyberchondria health information-seeking |
| title | Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young Adults |
| title_full | Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young Adults |
| title_fullStr | Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young Adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young Adults |
| title_short | Coping and Cyberchondria in a Pandemic: A Study on Young Adults |
| title_sort | coping and cyberchondria in a pandemic a study on young adults |
| topic | coping styles covid-19 cyberchondria health information-seeking |
| url | http://www.jmhhb.org/article.asp?issn=0971-8990;year=2023;volume=28;issue=1;spage=95;epage=99;aulast=Sam |
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