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

January 10, 2017 updated by: Sandra K. Hamann, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
The purpose of the current explorative study is to examine the effects of health-related internet use in individuals with pathological health anxiety using ambulatory assessment. In a naturalistic setting participants answer over a seven-day period questionnaires about their health-related internet use and its effects on affect, health anxiety and symptom severity in their usual daily lives.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The internet is a popular method for obtaining information. Increasingly, it is also used to answer medical and health questions, because compared to other methods (e.g. going to the library or visiting a doctor) it has a number of advantages to offer like low costs, availability, easy accessibility, anonymity, and great diversity of information types and sources. 60 to 80 percent of internet users search online for medical information. In this context the term "cyberchondria" was coined in the media to describe the potentially detrimental effects of this behavior. The first studies in this field using self-report retrospective data showed that individuals with elevated levels of health anxiety seem to make increased use of the internet for this purpose and it seems to maintain health anxiety in the long-term. However, up until today little is known about the consequences of this behavior and the maintaining mechanism.

This observational study aims to investigate the effects of health-related internet use in individuals with pathological health anxiety in a naturalistic setting using ambulatory assessment. The variables of interest are monitored using time- and event-based sampling methods. Therefore, over a seven-day period participants answer seven times a day questionnaires on a mobile phone in their usual daily lives and additionally track the variables of interest in the moment the target behavior (health-related internet use) occurs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate these relations using ambulatory assessment and therefore additionally aims to investigate the feasibility of this study design in this specific field of research.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Anticipated)

40

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

individuals with pathological health anxiety

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

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

Exclusion Criteria:

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Case-Only
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Participants
Individuals with pathological health anxiety
Other: Observation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change of health anxiety before and after health-related internet use
Time Frame: Time-based sampling: every day at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm during seven days
Self-created item. The occurence of health-related internet use is indicated by answering a question (yes/no) for a specific time period (e.g. between 9am and 11am), then the difference score for levels of health anxiety between these two time points is calculated.
Time-based sampling: every day at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm during seven days
Change of positive and negative affect before and after health-related internet use
Time Frame: Time-based sampling: every day at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm during seven days

Short-form of the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule -State (PANAS-State) by Thompson (2007), translated into German.

The occurence of health-related internet use is indicated by answering a question (yes/no) for a specific time period (e.g. between 9am and 11am), then the difference score for levels of health anxiety between these two time points is calculated.
Time-based sampling: every day at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm during seven days
Change of symptom severity before and after health-related internet
Time Frame: Time-based sampling: every day at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm during seven days
Self-created item. The occurence of health-related internet use is indicated by answering a question (yes/no) for a specific time period (e.g. between 9am and 11am), then the difference score for levels of health anxiety between these two time points is calculated.
Time-based sampling: every day at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm during seven days
Change of health anxiety before and after health-related internet use
Time Frame: Event-based sampling: before and after every health-related internet use that is conducted during a seven-day-period
Self-created item. Start and end of health-related internet use is indicated by the push of a special button on the mobile phone and triggers the presentation of this item.
Event-based sampling: before and after every health-related internet use that is conducted during a seven-day-period
Change of positive and negative affect before and after health-related internet use
Time Frame: Event-based sampling: before and after every health-related internet use that is conducted during a seven-day-period

Short-form of the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule -State (PANAS-State) by Thompson (2007), translated into German.

Start and end of health-related internet use is indicated by the push of a special button on the mobile phone and triggers the presentation of this questionnaire.
Event-based sampling: before and after every health-related internet use that is conducted during a seven-day-period
Change of symptom severity before and after health-related internet
Time Frame: Event-based sampling: before and after every health-related internet use that is conducted during a seven-day-period
Self-created item. Start and end of health-related internet use is indicated by the push of a special button on the mobile phone and triggers the presentation of this item.
Event-based sampling: before and after every health-related internet use that is conducted during a seven-day-period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
frequency of occurence of health-related internet use
Time Frame: during seven days
start of health-related internet use is recorded by the push of a special button on the mobile phone
during seven days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Collaborators

University of Cologne

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Michael Witthoeft, Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Experimental Psychopathology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

September 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 5, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 10, 2017

First Posted (Estimate)

January 13, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 13, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 10, 2017

Last Verified

January 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • C2-aA

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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