Examination of the relationship between adults’ sleep quality and cyberchondria levels
Current Psychology, cilt.45, sa.7, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 45 Sayı: 7
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s12144-026-09237-9
- Dergi Adı: Current Psychology
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, BIOSIS, Psycinfo, Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Cyberchondria, Sleep quality, Adults
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Cyberchondria, the compulsive search for health information online, is a health problem that can lead to a variety of mental and physical problems. The primary contribution of this study is to explore how cyberchondria affects sleep quality among adults in Istanbul; this topic has been under-researched in existing studies involving the Turkish population. By conducting a descriptive and correlational analysis with 213 adult individuals, this study investigated the relationship between cyberchondria and sleep quality. The study found that 86.1% of the participants used the Internet for health-related searches, and more than half of them experienced anxiety as a result. The results reveal a statistically significant but weak inverse correlation between cyberchondria and sleep quality (ρ = -0.235; p = 0.000; 95% CI: -0.355, -0.107). This finding suggests that as individuals engage more in health-related research, their sleep quality tends to decline, highlighting the potentially harmful effects of uncontrolled internet use for health information. The study also highlights the widespread dependence on smartphones and frequent internet use among the population, with 38.4% of participants spending 3–4 h online per day. This research contributes to the literature with its results regarding the impact of cyberchondria, particularly on sleep quality. It is emphasized that mental health professionals should recognize cyberchondria as a growing problem and develop evidence-based interventions to address it. Future studies can expand on this research by examining the long-term effects of cyberchondria and evaluating the effectiveness of various intervention strategies in improving both mental health and sleep outcomes.