The Mediating Role of Illness Anxiety in the Relationship between Self-esteem and Cyberchondria in Students

Cyberchondria, illness anxiety, and self-esteem are three seemingly unrelated concepts that are quite intertwined. This research investigates the mediating role of illness anxiety in the relationship between self-esteem and cyberchondria in students. The current research design is descriptive and correlational. The population studied in the current research included the students of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, 262 people were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling. McElroy and Shulin's cyberchondria questionnaire, Salkoskis and Warwick's health anxiety questionnaire, and Rosenberg's self-esteem questionnaire were used to collect the data. The data analysis was done using SPSS 24 and Lisrel 8 software. The results showed that self-esteem has a direct effect on cyberchondria (β= -0.08) and illness anxiety (β= -0.44). Also, illness anxiety is related to cyberchondria (β= 0.73). Further, the results showed that illness anxiety can indirectly mediate the relationship between self-esteem and cyberchondria (β= -0.32). The evaluation of the hypothetical model of the research using fit indices showed that the hypothetical model fits with the measurement model. The results showed that illness anxiety can mediate the relationship between self-esteem and cyberchondria. Cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT) including cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy can help people to challenge their irrational thoughts and manage their anxiety.