Health information craving: Conceptualization, scale development and validation

Abstract

Cyberchondria, involving the excessive and compulsive seeking of health information, has garnered escalating attention in recent years. One model proposes cyberchondria as an addictive behavior, and craving is considered a key driver of addictive behaviors. However, craving has yet to be systematically studied in the context of cyberchondria. Therefore, this study aimed to conceptualize a contruct of health information craving, develop, and validate a health information craving scale, intended for subsequent empirical examinations in the context of cyberchondria. We employed a rigorous multi-step procedure for scale development and validation, conducting three separate studies with 1633 participants. The resulting scale of health information craving exhibited a multi-dimensional structure with positive and negative reinforcing sub-scales, as confirmed through diverse reliability and validity assessments. As expected, the scale demonstrated a positive relationship with individuals' cyberchondria, thus providing support for the nomological validity of the developed scale. Furthermore, the findings suggest that health information craving should be considered a related but distinct concept from another similar concept, health information need, thereby offering further support for its operationalization. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.