The impact of human papillomavirus 16/18 positivity on cyberchondria levels in women undergoing colposcopy

Hande Nur Öncü, Gökçen Ege, Serap Topkara Sucu, Neslihan Öztürk, Candost Hanedan, Vakkaş Korkmaz
In: Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira · 2025 · vol. 71(5) , pp. e20241692 · doi:10.1590/1806-9282.20241692 · PMID:40531764 · W4411349019
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The negative consequences of the widespread use of the Internet for health-related information have recently become a topic of research. Recently, the impact of internet information-seeking on anxiety has been defined as cyberchondria, and a standardized scoring system has been developed to document it. However, the significance of this scoring system in gynecologic oncology has not yet been established. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of human papillomavirus 16/18 positivity on the level of cyberchondria in women with human papillomavirus positivity undergoing colposcopy. METHODS: The study included 333 women with human papillomavirus 16/18 and other high-risk human papillomavirus positivity who underwent colposcopy in the gynecologic oncology clinic. Participants were divided into two groups: human papillomavirus 16/18 positive (Group 1, n=201) and other high-risk human papillomavirus positive (Group 2, n=132). Both groups were administered the short form of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12). Demographic and clinical findings and cyberchondria scores were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The median ages of the study groups were 36 (26-59) and 40 (25-63) years, respectively (p=0.004). Both groups had similar body mass index, parity, menopausal status, and educational levels (p>0.05). When comparing the four subscales and the total score, the excessiveness (11 [3-15] vs. 9 [3-15], p<0.001, respectively) and the total CSS-12 score (31 [12-55] vs. 28 [12-49], p=0.002, respectively) were statistically significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In women with human papillomavirus 16/18 positivity undergoing colposcopy, cyberchondria levels were found to be significantly higher. Specifically, excessive information-seeking behavior significantly contributed to this elevated level of cyberchondria.

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