Prevalence and factors associated with cyberchondria among undergraduates at the University of Cross River State, Nigeria.
Background: While digital shifts offer accessibility and empowerment, they also pose growing public health concerns, particularly the rise of Cyberchondria, an emerging condition where repeated health-related searches lead to anxiety and emotional distress. Aim: This study aimed to determine the pre...
| Publicado en: | Discover Public Health Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 1 - 16 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Springer Nature
3/29/2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=192586001&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 192586001 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 30050774 NM7Z jtl: Discover Public Health issn: 30050774 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 3/29/2026 vid: 23 iid: 1 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature place: New York, New York artinfo: ui: 192586001 192586001 192586001 10.1186/s12982-026-01803-7 192586001 ppf: 1 ppct: 15 formats: tig: atl: Prevalence and factors associated with cyberchondria among undergraduates at the University of Cross River State, Nigeria. aug: au: Ugbe, Ugbe Maurice-Joel Ezekiel, Edican Victoria Elechi, Natalie Favour Ugwuanyi, Chiamaka Doris Ekam, Mbekha Sunday Ibor, Grace Ofem Okoi, Yojorsam Stephen Okoi-Ugbe, Faith Ubi affil: https://ror.org/05qderh61 Department of Public Health, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria sug: subj: Colleges and Universities Nigeria Students, Undergraduate Psychosocial Factors Information Seeking Behavior Internet Searching Health Information Anxiety Epidemiology Anxiety Risk Factors Risk Assessment Human Male Female Adolescence Adult Nigeria Cross Sectional Studies Random Sample Questionnaires Scales Descriptive Statistics Chi Square Test Data Analysis Software Medical Mistrust Psychological Distress Health Care Costs Media Exposure Internet Access Hypochondriasis Sex Factors Smartphone Health Literacy Prevalence Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Male Female ab: Background: While digital shifts offer accessibility and empowerment, they also pose growing public health concerns, particularly the rise of Cyberchondria, an emerging condition where repeated health-related searches lead to anxiety and emotional distress. Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of Cyberchondria among undergraduates at the University of Cross River State, Nigeria. Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional design was employed, with a sample size of 400 respondents selected through simple random sampling. Cyberchondria prevalence was measured using the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-15). Descriptive statistics and Chi square test were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS). The study achieved a 100% response rate. Results: A total of 87.8% reported owning smartphones. The prevalence of Cyberchondria among respondents was 50.4%. Among the CSS-15 constructs, Excessiveness (35.6%) was the most prominent, followed by Reassurance (26.2%), Distress (22.5%), and Compulsion (17.1%). Approximately 33.6% of students reported searching for health information a few times weekly, while 59.8% relied on healthcare provider websites. Key factors associated with Cyberchondria included recurrent health concerns (70.4%), the need to verify diagnoses (70.1%), high healthcare costs (79.2%), social media influence (78.1%), ease of internet access (79.5%), and emotional relief from reassuring content (80.3%). Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between the prevalence of Cyberchondria and being female (χ² = 15.427, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The findings highlight the growing need for digital health literacy and structured health education among undergraduates to promote responsible online health-seeking behaviour and reduce the risk of health-related anxiety. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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