Being Pregnant in the Digital Age: Cyberchondria and Pregnancy Anxiety

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 3, 799 - 808, 19.12.2025

Zehra Acar , Asibe Özkan , Fatma Gamze Malçok

https://doi.org/10.46413/boneyusbad.1628422

https://izlik.org/JA65JE48KE

Öz

Aim: This study aimed to determine the levels of cyberchondria and anxiety among pregnant women and the associated factors.
Material and Method: This descriptive study was conducted with 376 pregnant women. Data were collected using the “Personal and Pregnancy-Related Characteristics Data Form”, the “Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale (PrAS),” and the “Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Form (CSS-12)”.
Results: 77.1% of the participants reported searching the internet for answers to their pregnancy-related questions. The mean total scores for the CSS-12 and PrAS scales were 28.14 ± 9.28 and 67.3 ± 13.97, respectively. There was a correlation between the CSS-12, its “distress” and “compulsion” subscale, and the PrAS. Additionally, correlations were observed between the PrAS, its “childbirth concerns” and “baby concerns” subscale, and the CSS-12. Pregnancy-related anxiety scores were higher in multiparous pregnant women compared to primiparous women. A correlation was also found between pregnancy-related anxiety scores and the provision of satisfactory answers to participants' questions by midwives and nurses. Furthermore, age acted as a moderator, weakening the impact of cyberchondria on pregnancy anxiety.
Conclusion: The cyclical consequences of pregnancy anxiety and internet use should be examined, and interventions or recommendations should be developed to reduce the negative impact of cyberchondria on mental health.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Anxiety , Cyberchondria , Digital , Internet , Pregnancy

Etik Beyan

The study was conducted in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration after obtaining ethical approval Başakşehir Çam ve Sakura City Hospital Ethical Commite (approval number 2024/120) on February 16, 2024. The researchers verbally informed all participants about the study’s purpose and procedures and obtained their informed consent before inclusion in the study.

Dijital Çağda Gebe Olmak: Siberkondri ve Gebelik Anksiyetesi

https://izlik.org/JA65JE48KE

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmada gebelerde siberkondri ve anksiyete düzeylerinin ve ilişkili faktörlerin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı tipteki bu çalışma 376 gebe ile yürütülmüştür. Veriler “Kişisel ve Gebelikle İlgili Özellikler Veri Formu”, “Gebelikle İlgili Anksiyete Ölçeği (PrAS)” ve “Siberkondria Şiddet Ölçeği-Kısa Formu (CSS-12)” kullanılarak toplanmıştır.
Bulgular: Katılımcıların %77.1'i gebelikle ilgili sorularına yanıt bulmak için internette arama yaptığını bildirmiştir. CSS-12 ve PrAS ölçekleri için ortalama toplam puanlar sırasıyla 28.14 ± 9.28 ve 67.3 ± 13.97 idi. CSS-12'nin “sıkıntı” (r=0.185) ve “kompulsiyon” (r=0.183) alt ölçekleri ile PrAS arasında korelasyon bulunmuştur. Ayrıca, PrAS'ın “doğum endişeleri” (r=0.321) ve “bebek endişeleri” (r=0.151) alt ölçekleri ile CSS-12 arasında korelasyon bulunmuştur. Gebelikle ilgili kaygı puanları multipar gebelerde primipar gebelere kıyasla daha yüksektir. Gebelikle ilgili kaygı puanları ile ebe ve hemşirelerin katılımcıların sorularına tatmin edici yanıtlar vermesi arasında da bir korelasyon bulunmuştur. Ayrıca yaş, siberkondrinin gebelik anksiyetesi üzerindeki etkisini zayıflatan bir moderatör görevi görmüştür.
Sonuç: Gebelik anksiyetesi ve internet kullanımının döngüsel sonuçları incelenmeli ve siberkondrinin ruh sağlığı üzerindeki olumsuz etkisini azaltmak için müdahaleler veya öneriler geliştirilmelidir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Anksiyete , Dijital , Gebelik , İnternet , Siberkondri

Kaynakça

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