The role of pain catastrophizing in cyberchondria among emerging adults

Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating health problem that often persists in the absence of an identifiable biomedical cause. Uncertainty regarding the origins of a pain problem may lead to pain catastrophizing and unfruitful healthcare seeking behaviors. Individuals with chronic pain often tu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology, health & medicine health & medicine, 2019-11, Vol.24 (10), p.1267-1276
Main Authors: Gibler, Robert C., Jastrowski Mano, Kristen E., O'Bryan, Emily M., Beadel, Jessica R., McLeish, Alison C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders - psychology
Catastrophic reactions
Catastrophization - psychology
catastrophizing
Chronic pain
Chronic Pain - psychology
Complaints
Compulsions
Cyberchondria
emerging adults
Female
health anxiety
Health information
Health problems
Help seeking behavior
Humans
Hypochondriasis - psychology
Internet
Male
Pain
Psychological distress
Questionnaires
Reassurance
Students
Uncertainty
Undergraduate students
Young Adult
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Summary:Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating health problem that often persists in the absence of an identifiable biomedical cause. Uncertainty regarding the origins of a pain problem may lead to pain catastrophizing and unfruitful healthcare seeking behaviors. Individuals with chronic pain often turn to the internet to identify possible causes or sources of their pain symptoms, thus affirming their pain experience. Despite evidence that pain catastrophizing amplifies distress about pain complaints, no studies have investigated whether it is associated with escalations in health anxiety that result from searching for online health information (i.e., cyberchondria). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether pain catastrophizing predicted variance in cyberchondria above and beyond health anxiety. Undergraduate students (N = 221, 70.6% female) completed questionnaires assessing pain catastrophizing, health anxiety, and cyberchondria. Results from hierarchical regression models indicated that pain catastrophizing predicted unique variance in four dimensions of cyberchondria: compulsion, distress, excessiveness, and reassurance. Findings are consistent with research highlighting the consequences of pain catastrophizing on myriad psychological outcomes. Individuals who catastrophize about pain experiences may be vulnerable to developing severe health anxiety from searching the internet for health information. Implications for research among individuals with chronic pain are discussed.
ISSN:1354-8506
1465-3966
DOI:10.1080/13548506.2019.1605087