Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: Mar 26, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 26, 2025 - May 21, 2025
Date Accepted: Dec 13, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Trends in the Implementation of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale: A Survey of the Empirical Literature
ABSTRACT
Background:
Cyberchondria, a combination of the words “cyber” and “hypochondriasis”, is a condition that is receiving increasing attention by clinicians and researchers globally. Researchers are currently using multiple scales to quantify it. Furthermore, the scales have been translated into multiple languages.
Objective:
This study aims to examine the extent to which researchers are measuring cyberchondria using the 33-item Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) and its 12-item abbreviated version, the CSS-12. It also examines the relative utilization of cyberchondria scales in different languages.
Methods:
PubMed Central® was searched for articles published between May 1, 2019, and December 31, 2024, using the term “cyberchondria.” Included articles mentioned the CSS, were empirical studies, and were in English. Each was categorized by CSS version, publication year, and language of scale implementation. Chi-Square tests assessed associations, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient evaluated trend monotonicity.
Results:
Of 65 articles identified, 21 used the CSS, 20 used the CSS-12, and the remainder employed unknown or modified versions. CSS-12 usage following its introduction in 2019, but no significant association existed between publication year and instrument choice (p=0.48). The relationship between year and the percentage of articles using the CSS-12 was not significantly monotonic (rho=0.75; p=0.084). The CSS was most implemented in Turkish, while the CSS-12 was most implemented in English.
Conclusions:
The CSS-12 has gained traction in cyberchondria research, though the original CSS remains widely used. The comparability of CSS scales across languages requires further research. Clinical Trial: n/a
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