Published
2024-02-01
Issue
Section
Research Articles
License
The journal adopts the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which means that anyone can reuse and redistribute the materials for non-commercial purposes as long as you follow the license terms and the original source is properly cited.
Author(s) shall retain the copyright of their work and grant the Journal/Publisher rights for the first publication with the work concurrently licensed since 2023 Vol.8 No.2.
Under this license, author(s) will allow third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content under the condition that the authors are given credit. No permission is required from the authors or the publisher.
This broad license intends to facilitate free access, as well as the unrestricted use of original works of all types. This ensures that the published work is freely and openly available in perpetuity.
By providing open access, the following benefits are brought about:
- Higher Visibility, Availability and Citations-free and unlimited accessibility of the publication over the internet without any restrictions increases citation of the article.
- Ease of search-publications are easily searchable in search engines and indexing databases.
- Rapid Publication – accepted papers are immediately published online.
- Available for free download immediately after publication at https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP
Copyright Statement
1.The authors certify that the submitted manuscripts are original works, do not infringe the rights of others, are free from academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, and that there are no disputes over the authorship scheme of the collaborative articles. In case of infringement, academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, as well as disputes over the authorship scheme, all responsibilities will be borne by the authors.
2. The author agrees to grant the Editorial Office of Environment and Social Psychology a licence to use the reproduction right, distribution right, information network dissemination right, performance right, translation right, and compilation right of the submitted manuscript, including the work as a whole, as well as the diagrams, tables, abstracts, and any other parts that can be extracted from the work and used in accordance with the characteristics of the journal. The Editorial Board of Environment and Social Psychology has the right to use and sub-licence the above mentioned works for wide dissemination in print, electronic and online versions, and, in accordance with the characteristics of the periodical, for the period of legal protection of the property right of the copyright in the work, and for the territorial scope of the work throughout the world.
3. The authors are entitled to the copyright of their works under the relevant laws of Singapore, provided that they do not exercise their rights in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Journal.
About Licence
Environment and Social Psychology is an open access journal and all published work is available under the Creative Commons Licence, Authors shall retain copyright of their work and grant the journal/publisher the right of first publication, and their work shall be licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Under this licence, the author grants permission to third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content with attribution to the author. No permission from the author or publisher is required.
This broad licence is intended to facilitate free access to and unrestricted use of original works of all kinds. This ensures that published works remain free and accessible in perpetuity. Submitted manuscripts, once accepted, are immediately available to the public and permanently accessible free of charge on the journal’s official website (https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP). Allowing users to read, download, copy, print, search for or link to the full text of the article, or use it for other legal purposes. However, the use of the work must retain the author's signature, be limited to non-commercial purposes, and not be interpretative.
Click to download <Agreement on the Licence for the Use of Copyright on Environmental and Social Psychology>.
How to Cite
Cyberchondria and perceived stress as mediated by fear of pandemic fear: A pandemic and post-pandemic comparative study from India
Remya Lathabhavan
Department of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, Indian Institute of Management
M.P. Akhil
Department of Finance, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Arnob Banik
Vellore Institute of Technology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/esp.v9i5.2253
Keywords: COVID-19, cyberchondria, stress, fear of COVID-19, India, mediation
Abstract
The present study compares the association between cyberchondria with perceived stress through fear of COVID-19 during the pandemic and post pandemic scenario. Studies were conducted in two waves among 651 and 742 Indian university students respectively. Structural equation modeling was performed for analysis. The study revealed the positive association between the cyberchondria and perceived stress, and supported the mediation of pandemic fear. A reciprocal model relationship between the cyberchondria and perceived stress also found to be significant with fear of COVID-19 as mediator. Whereas, the relations found less strong during the post pandemic scenario compare to pandemic. A collective approach, including the individuals, family and friends, psychological practitioners, institutions and authorities, may provide a betterment of current situation with proper analysis and regulations. Future studies may develop longitudinal design to explore behavioral changes over time.
References
[1]. Tandon R. COVID-19 and mental health: Preserving humanity, maintaining sanity, and promoting health. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2020, 51: 102256. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102256
[2]. El-Bardan MF, Lathabhavan R. Fear of COVID-19 scale: Psychometric properties, reliability and validity in Egypt. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews. 2021;
[3]. Lathabhavan R, Barami.A N, Kurikkal MPMM, Manoj N. Mental health concerns of small business entrepreneurs in India due to COVID-19 financial distress. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2021, 64: 102774. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102774
[4]. Kayis AR, Satici B, Deniz ME, et al. Fear of COVID-19, loneliness, smartphone addiction, and mental wellbeing among the Turkish general population: a serial mediation model. Behaviour & Information Technology. 2021, 41(11): 2484-2496. doi: 10.1080/0144929x.2021.1933181
[5]. Budd J, Miller BS, Manning EM, et al. Digital technologies in the public-health response to COVID-19. Nature Medicine. 2020, 26(8): 1183-1192. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1011-4
[6]. Daraz L, Morrow AS, Ponce OJ, et al. Can Patients Trust Online Health Information? A Meta-narrative Systematic Review Addressing the Quality of Health Information on the Internet. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2019, 34(9): 1884-1891. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05109-0
[7]. McMullan RD, Berle D, Arnáez S, et al. The relationships between health anxiety, online health information seeking, and cyberchondria: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2019, 245: 270-278. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.037
[8]. Soroya SH, Farooq A, Mahmood K, et al. From information seeking to information avoidance: Understanding the health information behavior during a global health crisis. Information Processing & Management. 2021, 58(2): 102440. doi: 10.1016/j.ipm.2020.102440
[9]. Starcevic V. Cyberchondria: Challenges of Problematic Online Searches for Health-Related Information. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 2017, 86(3): 129-133. doi: 10.1159/000465525
[10]. McElroy E, Kearney M, Touhey J, et al. The CSS-12: Development and Validation of a Short-Form Version of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 2019, 22(5): 330-335. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2018.0624
[11]. McElroy E, Shevlin M. The development and initial validation of the cyberchondria severity scale (CSS). Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2014, 28(2): 259-265. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.12.007
[12]. Sun Y, Li Y, Bao Y, et al. Brief Report: Increased Addictive Internet and Substance Use Behavior During the COVID‐19 Pandemic in China. The American Journal on Addictions. 2020, 29(4): 268-270. doi: 10.1111/ajad.13066
[13]. Laato S, Islam AKMN, Islam MN, et al. What drives unverified information sharing and cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic? European Journal of Information Systems. 2020, 29(3): 288-305. doi: 10.1080/0960085x.2020.1770632
[14]. Lathabhavan R. COVID-19 and Mental Health Concerns Among Business Owners: a Cross-Sectional Study from India. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2022, 21(6): 3810-3820. doi: 10.1007/s11469-022-00824-y
[15]. Lathabhavan R. Fear of COVID-19, psychological distress, well-being and life satisfaction: A comparative study on first and second waves of COVID-19 among college students in India. Current Psychology. 2022, 42(23): 20203-20210. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03207-7
[16]. Lathabhavan R. A Psychometric Analysis of Fear of COVID-19 Scale in India. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2021, 21(2): 1256-1263. doi: 10.1007/s11469-021-00657-1
[17]. Ahorsu DK, Lin CY, Imani V, et al. Fear of COVID-19 Scale. PsycTESTS Dataset. Published online 2020. doi: 10.1037/t78404-000
[18]. Lathabhavan R, Sudevan S. The Impacts of Psychological Distress on Life Satisfaction and Wellbeing of the Indian General Population During the First and Second Waves of COVID-19: A Comparative Study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2022, 21(4): 2526-2537. doi: 10.1007/s11469-021-00735-4
[19]. Lathabhavan R, Padhy PC. Role of fear of COVID-19 in the relationship of problematic internet use and stress: A retrospective cohort study among Gen X, Y and Z. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2022, 67: 102937. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102937
[20]. Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A Global Measure of Perceived Stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 1983, 24(4): 385. doi: 10.2307/2136404
[21]. Arbuckle JL. IBM® SPSS® User’s Guide AmosTM 24. IBM, Chicago, IL. Available online: ftp://public.dhe.ibm.com (accessed on xxx )
[22]. Varma R, Das S, Singh T. Cyberchondria Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Management Strategies. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2021, 12. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.618508
[23]. Lathabhavan R, Vispute S. Examining the Mediating Effects of Stress on Fear of COVID-19 and Well-being Using Structural Equation Modeling. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2021, 20(5): 2681-2689. doi: 10.1007/s11469-021-00541-y
[24]. Lathabhavan R. First and Second Waves of COVID-19: A Comparative Study on the Impact of Pandemic Fear on the Mental Health of University Students in India. Journal of Loss and Trauma. 2021, 27(2): 194-195. doi: 10.1080/15325024.2021.1950432
[25]. Lathabhavan R, Hosseini Marznaki Z. COVID-19 PTSD Predicts Positive Effects among Healthcare Professionals in Iran: Investigating the Roles of Self-Efficacy and Resilience in a Follow-Up Study. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry. Published online June 24, 2023. doi: 10.18502/ijps.v18i3.13016
[26]. Łaskawiec D, Grajek M, Szlacheta P, et al. Post-Pandemic Stress Disorder as an Effect of the Epidemiological Situation Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare. 2022, 10(6): 975. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10060975
[27]. Balasubramanian SA, Lathabhavan R. Women’s glass ceiling beliefs predict work engagement and burnout. Journal of Management Development. 2017, 36(9): 1125-1136. doi: 10.1108/jmd-12-2016-0282
[28]. Lathabhavan R. People and social media platforms for positive mental health- A paradigm shift: A case on COVID-19 impact form India. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2021, 56: 102460. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102460
[29]. Lathabhavan R. Covid-19 Effects on Psychological Outcomes: How Do Gender Responses Differ? Psychological Reports. 2021, 126(1): 117-132. doi: 10.1177/00332941211040428