Impact of Excessive Online Health Searches on Parental Well-Being

Introduction: Technology transformed how parents access health information, but excessive online searches, or cyberchondria, can fuel reassurance-seeking and anxiety in managing family health. Demographic factors like age, education, socioeconomic status, and family structure shape vulnerability, yet their interplay with cultural beliefs remains understudied in Filipino contexts. This study examines the impact of excessive online health searches on parental well-being in the Philippines, aiming to address gaps in understanding digital health behaviors. Aim: This study aimed to determine the impact of cyberchondria on parental well-being, focusing on compulsion, distress, excessiveness, reassurance-seeking, mistrust, and thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It analyzed how sociodemographic factors affect cyberchondria and well-being. The research also explored the relationship between cyberchondria and parental well-being. Methods: A quantitative correlational design explored the relationship between cyberchondria and parental well-being. Four hundred parents from 10 barangays in Baguio City were selected through systematic random sampling. Data collection utilized the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-15 and Health Anxiety by Proxy Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Ethics approval was granted by the REC on February 20, 2025 (Protocol No. SLU-REC 2025-047). Results: Cyberchondria results revealed parents were severely affected in Excessiveness and Reassurance-seeking; thoughts and behaviors showed high anxiety. Significant differences appeared in Age (cyberchondria) and Monthly Income (health anxiety). A moderate positive correlation showed that higher cyberchondria was linked to increased health anxiety by proxy. Conclusion: Cyberchondria diminishes parental well-being by fueling anxiety, reassurance-seeking, and reduced resilience. Anchored in Media Dependency Theory, findings support interventions and culturally adapted tools for responsible digital health-seeking.