Belirsizliğe Tahammülsüzlük, Sağlık Bilgisi Arama Davranışı ve Siberkondri İlişkisi

Öz

Siberkondri, bireylerin sağlıkla ilgili bilgi arama davranışlarını tekrarlayıcı ve kaygı artırıcı şekilde sürdürmeleriyle ortaya çıkan bir psikolojik sorundur. Literatürde, belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlük ile siberkondri arasındaki ilişkiyi açıklayan çalışmalar bulunmakla birlikte, sağlık bilgisi arama davranışının bu ilişkideki aracı rolü ve cinsiyetin düzenleyici etkisi yeterince araştırılmamıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlüğün siberkondri üzerindeki etkisinde sağlık bilgisi arama davranışının aracı rolünü ve cinsiyetin düzenleyici etkisini incelemektir. Araştırma, 15 Mart–30 Nisan 2025 tarihleri arasında Ağrı ilinde yaşayan 327 yetişkin birey ile yürütülmüştür. Veriler yüz yüze anket yöntemiyle toplanmış; Belirsizliğe Tahammülsüzlük Ölçeği, Sağlık Bilgisi Arama Davranışı Ölçeği ve Kısa Siberkondri Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Analizlerde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, Pearson korelasyon, aracılık ve düzenleyicilik analizleri uygulanmıştır. Bulgular, belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlük ile siberkondri arasında anlamlı ve pozitif bir ilişki olduğunu, sağlık bilgisi arama davranışının bu ilişkide kısmi aracı rol oynadığını göstermiştir. Cinsiyetin ise bu ilişkide anlamlı bir düzenleyici etkisi bulunmamıştır. Sonuç olarak, dijital sağlık okuryazarlığının artırılması ve psikolojik başa çıkma stratejilerinin geliştirilmesi önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Belirsizliğe Tahammülsüzlük
• Sağlık Bilgisi Arama Davranışı
• Siberkondri

The Relationship Between Intolerance of Uncertainty, Health Information Seeking Behavior and Cyberchondria

Öz

Cyberchondria is a psychological condition that arises when individuals persistently and anxiously engage in repetitive health information-seeking. Although there are studies in the literature explaining the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria, the mediating role of health information-seeking behavior in this relationship and the moderating effect of gender have not been sufficiently investigated. The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of health information-seeking behavior and the moderating effect of gender in the impact of intolerance of uncertainty on cyberchondria. The research was conducted with 327 adults living in Ağrı between March 15 and April 30, 2025. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys using the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Health Information-Seeking Behavior Scale, and Short Cyberchondria Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, mediation, and moderation analyses were conducted. The findings showed a significant and positive relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria, and that health information-seeking behavior partially mediates this relationship. Gender, however, did not have a significant moderating effect. As a result, it is recommended to improve digital health literacy and develop psychological coping strategies.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Intolerance of Uncertainty
• Health Information-Seeking Behaviour
• Cyberchondria

Kaynakça

1. Ahadzadeh, A. S., Sharif, S. P. ve Ong, F. S. (2018). Online health information seeking among women: the moderating role of health consciousness. Online Information Review, 42(1), 58-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-02-2016-0066
2. Akhtar, M., Fatima, T. (2019). Exploring cyberchondria and worry about health among individuals with no diagnosed medical condition. JPMA, 70(3), 90-95. https://doi.org/10.5455/JPMA.8682
3. Akgül, G. ve Atalan Ergin, D. (2021). Adolescents’ and parents’ anxiety during COVID-19: Is there a role of cyberchondriasis and emotion regulation through the internet? Current Psychology, 40(10), 4750-4759. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01229-7
4. Anker, A. E., Reinhart, A. M. ve Feeley, T. H. (2011). Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods. Patient Education and Counseling, 82(3), 346-354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2010.12.008
5. Arbona, C., Fan, W., Phang, A., Olvera, N. ve Dios, M. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, and career indecision: A mediation model. Journal of Career Assessment, 29(4), 699-716.
6. Arsenakis, S., Chatton, A., Penzenstadler, L., Billieux, J., Berle, D., Starcevic, V. ve Khazaal, Y. (2021). Unveiling the relationships between cyberchondria and psychopathological symptoms. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 143(1), 254-261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.09.014
7. Baerg, L. ve Bruchmann, K. (2022). COVID-19 information overload: Intolerance of uncertainty moderates the relationship between frequency of internet searching and fear of COVID-19. Acta Psychologica, 224(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103534
8. Bahadır, E. (2021). Çevrimiçi sağlık arama davranışı (siberkondri) üzerine bir gözden geçirme. Klinik Psikoloji Dergisi, 5(1), 79-85. https://doi.org/10.5455/kpd.26024438m000031

9. Bahadir, O. ve Dundar, C. (2024). The impact of online health information source preference on intolerance to uncertainty and cyberchondria in a youthful generation. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 66(4), 360-366. https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_715_23
10. Bajcar, B. ve Babiak, J. (2020). Neuroticism and cyberchondria: The mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty and defensive pessimism. Personality and Individual Differences, 162(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110006
11. Bartoszek, G., Ranney, R. M., Curanovic, I., Costello, S. J. ve Behar, E. (2022). Intolerance of uncertainty and information-seeking behavior: Experimental manipulation of threat relevance. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 154(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2022.104125
12. Berle, D., Starcevic, V., Khazaal, Y., Viswasam, K., Hede, V. ve McMullan, R. D. (2020). Relationships between online health information seeking and psychopathology. General Hospital Psychiatry, 62(1), 96-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2019.04.006
13. Błoch, M. ve Misiak, B. (2025). Problematic online behaviors and their early patterns of co-occurrence in young adults: insights from directed and undirected networks. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1446338
14. Boysan, M., Eşkisu, M. ve Çam, Z. (2022). Relationships between fear of COVID‐19, cyberchondria, intolerance of uncertainty, and obsessional probabilistic inferences: A structural equation model. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 63(5), 439-448. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12822
15. Buhr, K. ve Dugas, M. J. (2002). The intolerance of uncertainty scale: Psychometric properties of the English version. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(8), 931-945. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(01)00092-4
16. Carleton, R. N., Norton, M. P. J. ve Asmundson, G. J. (2007). Fearing the unknown: A short version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21(1), 105-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.03.014
17. Carleton, R. N. (2016). Into the unknown: A review and synthesis of contemporary models involving uncertainty. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 39(1), 30-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.02.007
18. Cline, R. J. ve Haynes, K. M. (2001). Consumer health information seeking on the Internet: The state of the art. Health Education Research, 16(6), 671-692. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/16.6.671
19. Dean, C. A., Geneus, C. J., Rice, S., Johns, M., Quasie-Woode, D., Broom, K. ve Elder, K. (2017). Assessing the significance of health information seeking in chronic condition management. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(8), 1519-1526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2017.03.012
20. Diviani, N., Van Den Putte, B., Giani, S. ve van Weert, J. C. (2015). Low health literacy and evaluation of online health information: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(5), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.4018
21. Doherty-Torstrick, E. R., Walton, K. E. ve Fallon, B. A. (2016). Cyberchondria: Parsing health anxiety from online behavior. Psychosomatics, 57(4), 390-400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2016.02.002
22. Durmuş, A., Deniz, S., Akbolat, M. ve Çimen, M. (2022). Does cyberchondria mediate the effect of COVID-19 fear on the stress?. Social Work in Public Health, 37(4), 356-369. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2021.2014013
23. Ek, S. (2015). Gender differences in health information behaviour: A Finnish population-based survey. Health Promotion International, 30(3), 736-745. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dat063
24. Fergus, T. A. (2013). Cyberchondria and intolerance of uncertainty: Examining when individuals experience health anxiety in response to Internet searches for medical information. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(10), 735-739. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0671
25. Fergus, T. A. ve Spada, M. M. (2017). Cyberchondria: Examining relations with problematic Internet use and metacognitive beliefs. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(6), 1322-1330. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2102
26. Gong, H., Deng, S., Wang, H. ve Cao, G. (2023). Using the ABC theory of emotion to examine the relationship between health anxiety and health information-seeking behavior among the rural population. Digital Health, 9(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231208559
27. Guo, Y., Wang, Y. ve Li, Y. (2024). Online health information seeking, health anxiety and cyberchondria among men who engage in sexual risk taking: The mediating role of medical consultation about HIV/AIDS. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 34(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2845
28. Guo, Y., Wang, Y. ve Li, Y. (2025). Online health information seeking and cyberchondria among men at risk of hiv infection: A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Sexual Health, 37(1), 102-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2024.2444590
29. Jokić-Begić, N., Mikac, U., Čuržik, D. ve Sangster Jokić, C. (2019). The development and validation of short cyberchondria scale (SCS). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 41(1), 662-676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-019-09744-z
30. Kefeli Col, B., Gumusler Basaran, A. ve Genc Kose, B. (2025). The relationship between e-health literacy, health anxiety, cyberchondria, and death anxiety in university students that study in health related department. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 18(1), 1581-1595. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S513017
31. Khazaal, Y., Chatton, A., Rochat, L., Hede, V., Viswasam, K., Penzenstadler, L., Berle, D. ve Starcevic, V. (2021). Compulsive health-related internet use and cyberchondria. European Addiction Research, 27(1), 58-66. https://doi.org/10.1159/000510922
32. Kıraç, R. (2019). Sağlık arama davranışını etkileyen faktörler: Yapısal eşitlik modellemesine dayalı bir çalışma [Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi]. Selçuk Üniversitesi.
33. Laato, S., Islam, A. N., Islam, M. N. ve Whelan, E. (2020). What drives unverified information sharing and cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic?. European Journal of Information Systems, 29(3), 288-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2020.1770632
34. Lambert, S. D. ve Loiselle, C. G. (2007). Health information—seeking behavior. Qualitative Health Research, 17(8), 1006-1019. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307305199
35. Mathes, B. M., Norr, A. M., Allan, N. P., Albanese, B. J. ve Schmidt, N. B. (2018). Cyberchondria: Overlap with health anxiety and unique relations with impairment, quality of life, and service utilization. Psychiatry Research, 261(1), 204-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.01.002
36. McElroy, E. ve Shevlin, M. (2014). The development and initial validation of the cyberchondria severity scale (CSS). Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28(2), 259-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.12.007
37. McEvoy, P. M. ve Mahoney, A. E. (2011). Achieving certainty about the structure of intolerance of uncertainty in a treatment-seeking sample with anxiety and depression. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 25(1), 112-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.08.010
38. Menon, V., Kar, S. K., Tripathi, A., Nebhinani, N. ve Varadharajan, N. (2020). Cyberchondria: Conceptual relation with health anxiety, assessment, management and prevention. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102225
39. Merati-Fashi, F., Dalvandi, A. ve Yekta, Z. P. (2022). Health Information seeking and its achievements in patients with chronic disease. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 18(4), 411-416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2021.12.024
40. Mertens, G., Gerritsen, L., Duijndam, S., Salemink, E. ve Engelhard, I. M. (2020). Fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19): Predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102258
41. Muse, K., McManus, F., Leung, C., Meghreblian, B. ve Williams, J. M. G. (2012). Cyberchondriasis: Fact or fiction? A preliminary examination of the relationship between health anxiety and searching for health information on the Internet. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 26(1), 189-196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.11.005
42. Norr, A. M., Allan, N. P., Boffa, J. W., Raines, A. M. ve Schmidt, N. B. (2015). Validation of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS): Replication and extension with bifactor modeling. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 31(1), 58-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.02.001
43. Percheski, C. ve Hargittai, E. (2011). Health information-seeking in the digital age. Journal of American College Health, 59(5), 379-386. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2010.513406
44. Rafieinasab, F., Khademizadeh, S., Peymannia, B., Ghazavi, R. ve Sheikhshoaei, F. (2024). Exploring psychological variables in users’ health information-seeking behavior: A systematic review. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 13(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_973_23
45. Rosen, N. O. ve Knäuper, B. (2009). A little uncertainty goes a long way: State and trait differences in uncertainty interact to increase information seeking but also increase worry. Health Communication, 24(3), 228-238. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410230902804125
46. Sarıçam, H., Erguvan, F., Akın, A. ve Akça, M. (2014). Belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlük ölçeği BTÖ 12 Türkçe- formu geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Route Educational and Social Science Journal, 1(3), 148-157. http://doi.org/10.17121/ressjournal.109
47. Starcevic, V. ve Berle, D. (2013). Cyberchondria: towards a better understanding of excessive health-related Internet use. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 13(2), 205-213. https://doi.org/10.1586/ern.12.162
48. Starcevic, V. (2017). Cyberchondria: challenges of problematic online searches for health-related information. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 86(3), 129-133. https://doi.org/10.1159/000465525
49. Starcevic, V., Schimmenti, A., Billieux, J. ve Berle, D. (2021). Cyberchondria in the time of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(1), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.233
50. Şahan, S. ve Kaçmaz, E. D. (2024). Searching for health information on the internet; determining the relationship between nurses’ cyberchondria levels, health anxiety, and effective factors. Mediterranean Nursing and Midwifery, 4(3), 159-165. https://doi.org/10.4274/MNM.2024.24209
51. Tabachnick, B. G. ve Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using Multivariate Statistics (6. Basım). Pearson Education.
52. Tarcan, G. Y., Karahan, A. ve Sebik, N. B. (2023). Kısa Form Siberkondri (CSS-12) Ciddiyet Ölçeğinin geçerlik ve güvenirliği: Sağlık bilişimi alanına özel bir uygulama. Hacettepe Sağlık İdaresi Dergisi, 26(1), 207-218.
53. Tesfa, G. A., Demeke, A. D., Zewold, M. ve Ngusie, H. S. (2024). Health information-seeking behavior among people living with the two common chronic diseases in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic review and meta-analysis. Digital Health, 10(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241302241
54. Torunsky, N. T., Kedrick, K. ve Vilares, I. (2025). Information seeking and the expected utility of information about COVID-19 can be associated with uncertainty and related attitudes. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89781-9
55. Tunç, T., Demirci, H. F. ve Şahin, M. (2023). The relationship between life satisfaction and cyberchondria in the pandemic period. Black Sea Journal of Health Science, 6(4), 534-542. https://doi.org/10.19127/bshealthscience.1250641
56. Uslu Şahan, F. ve Purtul, S. (2023). Health anxiety and eHealth literacy as predictors of cyberchondria in women. Acıbadem Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 14(3), 454-461. https://doi.org/10.31067/acusaglik.1285876
57. Uzun, K. ve Karataş, Z. (2018). Belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlüğün yordayıcısı olarak endişe ile ilgili olumlu ve olumsuz inançlar. Kastamonu Education Journal, 26(4), 1267-1276. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.434169
58. Üzüm, Ö., Ince, G., Eliaçık, K., Kanık, A., Elmalı, F. ve Helvacı, M. (2023). Investigating the potential connection between cyberchondria and vaccine hesitancy in high school students. Cureus, 15(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.34218
59. Vismara, M., Caricasole, V., Starcevic, V., Cinosi, E., Dell'Osso, B., Martinotti, G. ve Fineberg, N. A. (2020). Is cyberchondria a new transdiagnostic digital compulsive syndrome? A systematic review of the evidence. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 99(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152167
60. Wang, X., Shi, J. ve Kong, H. (2021). Online health information seeking: a review and meta-analysis. Health Communication, 36(10), 1163-1175. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1748829
61. Wang, T., Jiang, L., Li, T., Zhang, X. ve Xiao, S. (2023). The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty, coping style, resilience, and anxiety during the COVID-19 relapse in freshmen: A moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1136084
62. Wang, Z., Hu, Y., Huang, B., Zheng, G., Li, B. ve Liu, Z. (2024). Is there a relationship between online health information seeking and health anxiety? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Communication, 39(12), 2524-2538. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2275921
63. Wright, K. D., Lebell, M. A. A. ve Carleton, R. N. (2016). Intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity, health anxiety, and anxiety disorder symptoms in youth. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 41(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.04.011
64. Xu, R. H., Liang, X. ve Starcevic, V. (2025). Exploring the relationship between cyberchondria and suicidal ıdeation: cross-sectional mediation analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.2196/72414
65. Yang, X., Luo, C., Xu, Y., He, Y. ve Zhao, R. (2025). Unpacking cyberchondria: The roles of online health information seeking, health information overload, and health misperceptions. Telematics and Informatics, 97(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2024.102225
66. Zhu, X., Zheng, T., Ding, L. ve Zhang, X. (2023). Exploring associations between eHealth literacy, cyberchondria, online health information seeking and sleep quality among university students: A cross-section study. Heliyon, 9(6), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17521