Journal
CYBERPSYCHOLOGY BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL NETWORKING
Volume 25, Issue 10, Pages 625-633Publisher
MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC
DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2022.0045
Keywords
cyberchondria; e-health literacy; exposure to online vaccine information; perceived information overload
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This study investigates the development of cyberchondria when individuals search for COVID-19 vaccine-related information on the Internet. The results indicate a direct positive relationship between exposure to online vaccine information and cyberchondria, which is partially mediated by perceived information overload. Additionally, e-health literacy negatively moderates the indirect relationship between exposure to online vaccine information and cyberchondria.
Cyberchondria describes excessive health information seeking on the Internet is associated with escalating concerns and anxiety. Drawing upon the stimulus-organism-response model, this study proposes a moderated mediation model to explore how people develop cyberchondria when they search for COVID-19 vaccine-related information on the Internet. To test the proposed model, an online survey was conducted in China. Results showed that there was a direct and positive relationship between exposure to online vaccine information and cyberchondria. This relationship was also partially mediated by perceived information overload. Moreover, e-health literacy negatively moderated the indirect relationship between exposure to online vaccine information and cyberchondria through perceived information overload. The results from this study can advance our knowledge on the development of cyberchondria during public health crises, and inform health professionals and social media operators on developing evidence-based interventions to manage this issue.
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