An Examination of the Effects of Health-related Internet Use in Individuals With Pathological Health Anxiety

NCT03024593 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: C1-L
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of health-related internet use on affect, health anxiety and symptom severity in individuals with pathological levels of health anxiety. The present randomized controlled study compares an online medical searching condition with a waiting (i.e. non-searching) condition to manipulate the attentional focus. After an induction of health anxiety using the Autobiographical Emotional Memory Task the participants in the searching condition go online and search for subjectively relevant health information (external focus of attention). Individuals in the waiting (i.e. non-searching) condition are requested to do nothing and not to distract themselves (internal focus of attention).

Conditions

Hypochondriasis

Keywords

Cyberchondria; health-related internet use; pathological health anxiety

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change of health anxiety before and after 8 minutes of health-related internet searching or waiting

  self-created item

  right before and after 8 minutes of health-related internet searching or waiting

• Change of positive and negative affect before and after 8 minutes of health-related internet searching or waiting

  Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule - State (PANAS-State)

  right before and after 8 minutes of health-related internet searching or waiting

• Change of symptom severity before and after 8 minutes of health-related internet searching or waiting

  Checklist for symptoms in daily life (CSD)

  right before and after 8 minutes of health-related internet searching or waiting

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Change of health anxiety before and after 10 minutes of anxiety induction

  right before and after 10 minutes of anxiety induction

• Change of positive and negative affect before and after 10 minutes of anxiety induction

  right before and after 10 minutes of anxiety induction

• Change of symptom severity before and after 10 minutes of anxiety induction

  right before and after 10 minutes of anxiety induction

Study Arms (2)

Searching condition

EXPERIMENTAL

To simulate participants' natural behavior they are requested to search online for personally relevant health or illness information in their usual manner. By doing so their attentional focus lies on the searching process and the information they obtain.

Behavioral: Health- and illness-related internet use

Waiting condition (i.e. non- searching, no distraction)

NO INTERVENTION

Participants are requested to do nothing and not to distract themselves by reading or using their smartphone for instance. By doing so, it is expected that their attentional focus lies on their induced worries and symptoms.

Interventions

Health- and illness-related internet use BEHAVIORAL

Searching condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Pathological health anxiety according to the criteria of Fink et al. (2004)
• Informed consent
• Sufficient German language skills
• Sufficient skills using a computer, a smartphone and the internet

You may not qualify if:

• Suicidal tendency
• Clinical diagnosis of alcohol or drug abuse, acute schizophrenia
• Organic brain disorders
• Impairment of intelligence

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz: lead
• University of Cologne: collaborator

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hypochondriasis

Interventions

Health

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Somatoform Disorders; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Population Characteristics

Study Officials

• Michael Witthoeft, Professor

  Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Experimental Psychopathology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Sandra K Hamann, Dipl.-Psych.

CONTACT

(+49) 6131 - 3939 214; sahamann@uni-mainz.de

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 5, 2017
• First Posted: January 19, 2017
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2018
• Last Updated: January 19, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-01