Abstract
This study’s main goal was to evaluate the association between anxious temperament and the fear of COVID-19-related self-infection and infection in loved ones (family members, friends, relatives) and cyberchondria. The sample consisted of 499 men and women aged between 18 and 72 who were gathered from the general population via an online recruitment platform. A numerical rating scale comprising 11 degrees of fear was used to assess participants’ COVID-19-related fear, and affective temperaments were evaluated using Akiskal’s Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) scales. Cyberchondria was assessed using McElroy and Shevlin’s Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS). Small to medium positive correlations were found between depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperaments and cyberchondria and between depressive and anxious temperaments and COVID-19 fears. However, no correlation was observed between the hyperthymic temperament and cyberchondria. Cyberchondria positively correlated with both COVID-19 fears scales, though the correlation coefficients were medium. Based on the results of linear regression analysis, only anxious temperament and COVID-19 fear of self-infection were significant predictors of cyberchondria. The analysis also revealed a significant indirect effect of anxious temperament on cyberchondria through fear of COVID-19 self-infection as a mediator between anxious temperament and cyberchondria.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of psychosocial distress resulting from medical, social and economic problems, as well as numerous instances of unverified information regarding virus spread [1]
Yıldırım et al [9] confirmed that fear of COVID-19 was a good predictor of depression and anxiety and served as the mediator between perceived risk and depression and anxiety, while resilience served as a buffer factor
We only considered the overall score for cyberchondria
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of psychosocial distress resulting from medical, social and economic problems, as well as numerous instances of unverified information regarding virus spread [1]. According to Rovai et al [13], a high level of affective temperaments, except hyperthymic, relates to human susceptibility to life stressors, mood disorders, anxiety and depression, and somatic disorders. People with a high level of anxious temperament who more strongly experience the fear of COVID-19 infection will plausibly be more prone to intensively search for information on the threat to their health, manifesting in cyberchondria. Starčević et al [24] showed that cyberchondria is a construct independent of obsessive-compulsive disorder and intolerance of uncertainty In their meta-analysis, McMullan et al [25] confirmed a general relationship between health anxiety and searching the Internet for information as well as between health anxiety and cyberchondria. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a high level of uncertainty, health anxiety, and fear of COVID-19-related self-infection and infection in loved ones. We assumed that COVID-19-related fears play a significant role as a mediator between anxious temperament and cyberchondria
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