Investigating the Obsessive and Compulsive Features of Cyberchondria: A Holistic Review

Yi Yang; Na Ta; Zhanghao Li

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.897426

Investigating the Obsessive and Compulsive Features of Cyberchondria: A Holistic Review

Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 4:13:897426. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.897426. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yi Yang¹, Na Ta², Zhanghao Li^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ School of Chinese Culture and Communication, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing, China.
² School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.
³ Computational Communication Research Center, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China.
⁴ School of Journalism and Communication, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background: Cyberchondria has been brought into sharp focus during the COVID-19 health emergency; it refers to individuals who obsessively and compulsively search for health information online, resulting in excessive health concerns. Recent scholarship focuses on its obsessive and compulsive aspect, following a biopsychosocial approach as opposed to a pathology of health anxiety. It lacks interpretation of the socio-psychological dynamics between the dimensions.

Objective: This review aims to propose a holistic view toward understanding cyberchondria as an obsessive-compulsive syndrome and considers possible interventions. It specifically seeks to explain cyberchondria from diversified mediator variables and to pinpoint connections between each perspective.

Methodology: Comprehensive searches of databases such as PubMed and Springer were conducted to identify English articles relating to cyberchondria from 2001 to 2022. Based on a systematic filtering process, 27 articles were finally reviewed.

Findings: The authors compare and confirm three forecasts to predict cyberchondria, associating it with individual metacognition, uncertainty of unverified information, and algorithm-driven, biased information environments.

Value: Theoretically, a holistic framework is proposed to explain the obsessive and compulsive features of cyberchondria. Clinically, the research calls for more professional psychoeducation and chain screening of cyberchondria and other psychological disorders. Socially, it promotes support for risk-sensitive, information-deficient groups during pandemics like COVID-19. It also stresses more careful use of algorithm-driven search engine technology for platforms delivering medical information. Future research may explore areas such as the association between cyberchondria and other social-related disorders, as well as correlations among cyberchondria, obsessive and compulsive disorders, medical trust, and algorithm-driven search results.

Keywords: biased information environment; cyberchondria; metacognition; obsessive and compulsive searching; unverified information.

Publication types

Review