Cyberchondria Levels and Influencing Factors in Families of Asthma Patients

Öz

Objective: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. The term cyberchondria emphasizes excessive online health searches associated with increased distress or anxiety. Parents, especially pediatric patients, are responsible for managing the disease process. In this study, we examined the level of cyberchondria in families of asthmatic children and the factors affecting this level. Methods: Sixty asthma patients and their parents, aged 1-18 years, followed up with a diagnosis of asthma in the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology outpatient clinic between 14.04.2022 and 01.01.2023, were included. In addition, 60 parents of healthy children without chronic disease were also included as a control group. The parents’ cyberchondria severity levels of both groups were compared. Results: The median age of the asthma group was seven years. 45.6% of the patients were male. The mean cyberchondria severity score of the patient group was statistically significantly higher than that of the control group participants (p=0.02). A low-medium significant relationship was found between cyberchondria severity and the frequency of weekly internet access (p=0.009, r=0.35). In addition, there was a significant statistical correlation between cyberchondria severity and mother's education level (r=0.21, p=0.02) and father's education level (r=0.19, p=0.04). The cyberchondria severity score was higher in the group who wanted medical examinations other than the physician's recommendation (p=0.005). Conclusions: Parents with high cyberchondria severity experience more distress during chronic disease. If the parents' cyberchondria severity can be evaluated and determined promptly, their anxiety levels may be reduced with the necessary psychosocial support. Thus, trust in the physician and compliance with the treatment process can be increased. For this reason, the cyberchondria severity levels of parents with asthmatic children should be determined in time, and necessary psychosocial support should be provided.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Asthma
• child
• internet
• cyberchondria
• parents

Kaynakça

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