Social Media Health Information Seeking Behavior and Cyberchondria Severity: Exploring the Mediating Role of Health Literacy
Keywords:
Social Media Health Information Seeking, Cyberchondria Severity, Health Literacy, ehealth Literacy, Mediation Analysis, Student Mental HealthAbstract
In Pakistan, the rapid growth of social media as a source of health information has significantly influenced health communication, yet it has also contributed to a rising trend of cyberchondria—characterized by persistent and excessive online health searches that heighten anxiety and psychological distress. While previous research highlights health literacy as a potential protective factor (Sørensen et al., 2021; Jadoon et al., 2024), limited evidence exists on its role in mediating the relationship between social media health information seeking behavior (SMHISB) and the severity of cyberchondria. This cross-sectional survey involved 601 university Participants and explored two primary aspects: first, the association between social media health information seeking behavior (SMHISB) and cyberchondria severity, and second, the role of health literacy in influencing this connection. The results showed that about two-thirds of the participants (67%) regularly turned to social media for health information. A strong association emerged between excessive health-related searches and disruption in daily life (p = 0.60, p < 001). Mediation testing further revealed that student with higher health literacy were less affected by the negative outcome of SMHISB, indicating that health literacy acts as a buffering factor. These results emphasize the need to enhance health literacy to encourage responsible online health- seeking and to guide to development of health literacy programs. The study provides valuable insights to digital health communication research and highlights direction for education, health policy, and social media, particularly relevant for low - and middle-income countries.
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