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Relationship Between Adolescent Health Anxiety and Health-Related Internet Use: 3-Wave Longitudinal Survey Study
Adela Svestkova1, David Smahel1, Lenka Dedkova1
1Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|October 14, 2025
Summary
Health-related internet use (HRIU) can worsen health anxiety in adolescents with low to medium levels, but not those with high levels. Guidance on mindful HRIU and eHealth literacy is recommended for vulnerable adolescents.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Health
- Digital Health
Background:
- Health anxiety is a growing concern in adolescents, yet understudied.
- Health-related internet use (HRIU) is a common coping mechanism, but can exacerbate anxiety.
- Longitudinal, within-person data on HRIU and adolescent health anxiety is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the longitudinal, within-person relationship between HRIU and health anxiety in adolescents.
- To investigate how initial health anxiety levels (low, medium, high) moderate this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 2500 Czech adolescents (ages 11-16) over 3 waves (6 months apart).
- Health anxiety measured using the Multidimensional Inventory of Hypochondriacal Traits.
- HRIU assessed via self-reported health-related online behaviors.
- Analyzed using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model to distinguish within- and between-person effects.
Main Results:
- Higher base-level health anxiety correlated with more frequent HRIU (between-person effect).
- For adolescents with high health anxiety, HRIU did not significantly predict changes in health anxiety, or vice versa (within-person effect).
- For adolescents with low and medium health anxiety, HRIU positively predicted health anxiety, and vice versa, demonstrating a bidirectional relationship.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents with low to medium health anxiety are susceptible to negative long-term effects of HRIU.
- HRIU does not appear to impact health anxiety levels in adolescents with high pre-existing anxiety.
- Recommendations include promoting mindful HRIU, eHealth literacy, and alternative coping strategies for vulnerable adolescents.
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