How does health information seeking from different sources trigger cyberchondria in adults with chronic conditions? The roles of online communication behaviors and fear emotion
Description
This study proposed hypotheses grounded in the S-O-R-O-R framework, examining how multi-source online health information seeking (OHIS) predicts cyberchondria severity via the sequential mediation of social media communication behaviors and fear emotion among adults with chronic conditions. Data were collected via anonymous online questionnaires. A final sample of 823 valid responses was included for structural equation modeling analysis. All variables were measured with well-validated scales adapted to the chronic health context. Items with factor loadings below 0.5 were removed to ensure measurement validity and reliability. Key findings indicate that OHIS via news apps, health platforms, and search engines positively predicts social media communication behaviors. OHIS does not directly affect fear emotion but indirectly induces fear through social media communication behaviors. Moreover, social media communication behaviors and fear emotion sequentially mediate the relationship between OHIS and cyberchondria severity. These findings explain a clear behavioral-emotional mechanism: multi-source health information search acts as an external stimulus that triggers online communication activities, evokes health fear, and ultimately exacerbates cyberchondria. The reliable and replicable data elaborates differentiated source effects and chained mediation pathways, providing empirical evidence for understanding digital health risks among chronic populations.