Research and Evaluation of a Cyberchondria Severity Scale in a Chinese Context

Background: Cyberchondria is the unfounded anxiety that results when people look up their medical conditions online and mistakenly diagnose themselves with serious illnesses. Such internet-derived medical anxiety can manifest itself in different ways across cultures. This study explores the unique nature of cyberchondria in the context of Chinese culture, identifying the risk factors for the condition and the possible negative outcomes. Results: : An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to highlight differences in the structure of the scale for Western and Chinese contexts. Through the process of the reliability and validity testing, a Chinese version of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (C-CSS) was developed. Subsequent regression analysis indicated that three antecedents are effective predictors of cyberchondria, and that C-CSS is related to theoretically relevant outcomes. Conclusions: : This study initially demonstrated the applicability of C-CSS to assess the severity of cyberchondria among Chinese undergraduates.