Impact of Excessive Online Health Searches on Parental Well-being
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31154/isc12.v12i1.186.224-234Keywords:
Cyberchondria, Parental well-being, Health anxiety, ParentsAbstract
Technology transformed how parents access health information, but excessive online searches, termed cyberchondria, can fuel compulsive reassurance-seeking and anxiety when managing family health concerns. Demographic factors such as age, education, socioeconomic status, and family structure shape vulnerability to such behaviors, yet their interplay with cultural norms remains understudied in Filipino contexts. This study aimed to determine the impact of cyberchondria on parental well-being, focusing on domains such as compulsion, distress, excessiveness, reassurance-seeking, and mistrust, as well as thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It analyzed how sociodemographic factors affected cyberchondria and parental well-being and explored the relationship between the two. Using a quantitative correlational research design, 400 parents from 10 barangays in Baguio City were selected through systematic random sampling. Data were collected using the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-15 and the Health Anxiety by Proxy Scale (HAPYS) and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed severe effects of Excessiveness and Reassurance-seeking, with high anxiety levels in thoughts and behaviors. Significant differences were found between age and cyberchondria, and between monthly income and health anxiety. A moderate positive correlation indicated that higher cyberchondria is linked to increased health anxiety by proxy, reflecting poorer parental well-being. The study concludes that cyberchondria diminishes parental well-being by fueling anxiety, reassurance-seeking, and reduced resilience, and recommends interventions such as vetted health portals, digital health literacy modules, mindfulness circles, and culturally adapted tools to transform digital dependence into responsible health-seeking behavior.
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