Predictors of Cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study using supervised machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Cyberchondria is characterized by repeated and compulsive online searches for health information, resulting in increased health anxiety and distress. It has been conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct fueled by both anxiety and compulsivity-related factors and described as a "transdiagnostic compulsive behavioral syndrome" which is associated with health anxiety, problematic internet use and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Cyberchondria is not included in the ICD-11 or the DSM-5, and its defining features, etiological mechanisms and assessment continue to be debated.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate changes in the severity of cyberchondria during the pandemic and identify predictors of cyberchondria at this time.

METHODS: Data collection started on May 4, 2020 and ended on June 10, 2020, which corresponds to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. At the time the present study took place, French-speaking countries in Europe (France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg) all implemented lockdown or semi-lockdown measures. The survey consisted of a questionnaire collecting demographic information (sex, age, education level and country of residence) and information on socioeconomic circumstances during the first lockdown (e.g., economic situation, housing and employment status), and was followed by several instruments assessing various psychological and health-related constructs. Inclusion criteria for the study were being at least 18 years of age and having a good understanding of French. Self-report data were collected from 725 participants aged 18 to 77 years (mean 33.29, SD 12.88 years), with females constituting the majority (416/725, 57.4%).

RESULTS: The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic affected various facets of cyberchondria: cyberchondria-related distress and interference with functioning increased (distress z=-3.651, P<.001; compulsion z=-5.697, P<.001), whereas the reassurance facet of cyberchondria decreased (z=-6.680, P<.001). Also, COVID-19-related fears and health anxiety emerged as the strongest predictors of cyberchondria-related distress and interference with functioning during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cyberchondria and identify factors that should be considered in efforts to prevent and manage cyberchondria at times of public health crises. Also, they are consistent with the theoretical model of cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic proposed by Starcevic and his colleagues in 2020. In addition, the findings have implications for the conceptualization and future assessment of cyberchondria.