Highlights
- •On the internet, health information can be searched anonymously and easily accessible, also can be inaccurate, contradictory, and misleading.
- •The more smartphone use is high, the more cyberchondria level may increases.
- •An interdisciplinary approach is recommended to manage smartphone addiction and cyberchondria best.
Abstract
In this descriptive and correlational study, it was aimed to examine the relationship
between adolescents' smartphone addiction and cyberchondria. Data were obtained from
384 adolescent high school students in Istanbul between December 2020 and January
2021, using a Personal Information Form, the Smartphone Addiction Scale, and Cyberchondria
Severity Scale. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the students.
The adolescents' smartphone use duration was 3.67 ± 1.66 years. Almost all (97.9%)
connected to the internet via smartphones and 39.3% spent 3–4 h per day on the internet.
It was determined that 61.7% of them checked their phones as soon as they woke up
in the morning and 75.3% of them before going to bed in the evening. For those whose
smartphone use duration is high, their cyberchondria also increases. The authors suggest
that nurses should understand smartphone addiction and cyberchondria to identify and
apply nursing interventions when necessary in adolescents.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: August 29, 2021
Accepted:
August 24,
2021
Received:
February 16,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
