Relationship Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Cyberchondria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Cyberchondria is a phenomenon characterized by individuals engaging in excessive and repetitive online searches for health-related information to alleviate their concerns, which can lead to anxiety and behavioral disorders. Recent studies have shown that intolerance of uncertainty is an important psychological factor that increases cyberchondria, however, there is a notable lack of systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the relationship between these two variables. The aim of this study is to systematically review and meta-analyze quantitative research published between 2020 and 2025 that investigates the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Following a comprehensive search in the Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and DergiPark databases, 21 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The analyses revealed a moderate and significant positive relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria, with no significant effect of moderator variables such as year and country. The findings contribute significantly to the literature by enhancing the understanding of the impact of individual psychological characteristics on online health information-seeking behaviors and highlight the need for future research to consider different methodological approaches and moderator variables.

Keywords

• Intolerance of uncertainty
• cyberchondria
• systematic review
• meta-analysis

Belirsizliğe Tahammülsüzlük ve Siberkondri Arasındaki İlişki: Sistematik Derleme ve Meta-Analiz

Öz

Siberkondri, bireylerin sağlıkla ilgili endişelerini gidermek amacıyla internet üzerinden aşırı ve tekrarlayan bilgi arayışına girmesiyle ortaya çıkan, kaygı ve davranışsal bozukluklara yol açabilen bir olgudur. Son yıllarda yapılan araştırmalar, belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlüğün siberkondriyi artıran önemli bir psikolojik faktör olduğunu göstermektedir, ancak bu iki değişken arasındaki ilişkiyi sistematik olarak inceleyen derleme ve meta-analiz çalışmalarının eksikliği dikkat çekmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, 2020-2025 yılları arasında yayımlanan ve belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlük ile siberkondri arasındaki ilişkiyi nicel olarak inceleyen araştırmaları PRISMA rehberine uygun şekilde sistematik olarak derlemek ve meta-analiz yöntemiyle genel eğilimleri ortaya koymaktır. Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar ve DergiPark veri tabanlarında yapılan kapsamlı tarama sonucunda, dahil edilme kriterlerini karşılayan 21 çalışma meta-analize alınmış. Analizler sonucunda, belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlük ile siberkondri arasında orta düzeyde ve anlamlı bir pozitif ilişki saptanmış, yıl ve ülke gibi moderatör değişkenlerin bu ilişki üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisi olmadığı görülmüştür. Bulgular, bireysel psikolojik özelliklerin çevrim içi sağlık arama davranışları üzerindeki etkisinin anlaşılması açısından literatüre önemli katkılar sunmakta ve gelecekte yapılacak araştırmalarda farklı metodolojik yaklaşımların ve moderatör değişkenlerin dikkate alınmasının gerekliliğine işaret etmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlük
• siberkondri
• sistematik derleme
• meta-analiz

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