Level of cyberchondry in the families of patients with asthma and affecting factors

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. The term cyberchondria highlights excessive online health research associated with increased distress or anxiety. In this study, we examined the level of cyberchondria in families of children with asthma and how this level affects treatment and follow-up. Material and Method: In our study, 60 asthma patients aged between 1-18 years and their parents, who were followed up with the diagnosis of asthma between 14.04.2022 and 01.01.2023 in the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Polyclinic of our hospital, were included. In addition, parents of 60 chronically healthy children were determined as the control group. Cyberchondria levels of parents of both groups were evaluated and compared. Results: The median age of the asthma group was seven years. 46.6% of the patients were male. The mean age of the parents who filled out the questionnaire was 35.8±6.05 and 35±6.1 years in the patient and control groups, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of sociodemographic factors such as mother's and father's education level, monthly income of the family, family type (p>0.05). It was determined that the mean score of the participants in the patient group regarding the cybercornia severity scale score was statistically significantly higher than the cybercornia severity scale score of the participants in the control group (p=0.02). A low-moderate significant correlation was found between the severity of cyberchondria and the frequency of weekly internet use (p=0.009, r=0.35). In addition, there was a low degree of relationship between the mother's education level (p=0.02, r=0.21), and a low-level relationship between the father's education level (p=0.04, r=0.19). It was determined that the severity of cyberchondria of fathers with chronic disease was higher than those without (p=0.05). When other factors that may affect the level of cyberchondria in the patient group were evaluated, the severity of cyberchondria was found to be higher in the group who wanted to have medical examinations other than the physician's recommendation (p=0.005). Conclusion: If the cyberchondria severity of the parents can be evaluated and determined in a timely manner, the anxiety levels can be reduced with the necessary psychosocial support. For this reason, cyberchondria levels of families should be determined with a scale that can be applied to families of children with chronic diseases and long treatment periods, and necessary psychosocial support should be provided. Keywords: Asthma, child, internet, cyberchondria, parents