Home⇛Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives⇛vol. 3 no. 11 (2025)

The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies on Cyberchondria and Mental Well-being of Emerging Adults

Aila Mae G. Lintag | Andreana N. Santos | Samy C. Sibal | Elasir Anne C. Silverio | Vincent Mari F. Garcia | Ruth Krystine B. Garcia | Kriza Angelique M. Santos | Jerald Q. Vergara | Arold A. Parungao

Discipline: psychology (non-specific)

 

Abstract:

In today’s fast-changing world, the internet has been one click away from an abundance of information. However, cyberchondria, or excessive online health-related searching, has become widely common among emerging adults, creating a significant gap in understanding its impact on mental well-being and the role of emotion in managing it. The study examined the relationships between cyberchondria, mental well-being, and emotion regulation strategies, and assessed the potential moderating roles of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression among emerging adults. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed with 340 respondents aged 18-24, selected through stratified disproportionate sampling. Standardized instruments, such as the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Form, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression were analyzed using SPSS. While moderation analysis was performed using Jamovi software. Results revealed moderate levels of cyberchondria, mental well-being, and expressive suppression, with high levels of cognitive reappraisal. Cognitive reappraisal (r = 0.366, p < 0.001) was found to have a positive relationship with mental well-being. Meanwhile, cyberchondria (r = 0.075, p = 0.167) and expressive suppression (r = -0.018, p = 0.737) were observed to be inadequately related to mental well-being. Moderation analysis indicated that cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.013, p = 0.273) and expressive suppression (β = -0.007, p = 0.683) did not substantially moderate the association between cyberchondria and mental well-being. However, cognitive reappraisal directly enhanced mental well-being (β = 0.564, p < .001). These results suggest that while emotion regulation strategies may not buffer the impact of cyberchondria, promoting cognitive reappraisal could be beneficial for improving the mental well-being of emerging adults who frequently engage in online health searching, which may lead to health anxiety. The findings also emphasize the importance of implementing sustainable interventions that aim to strengthen adaptive emotion regulation, thereby fostering the mental well-being of individuals in today’s digital age.



References:

  1. Balita, C. (2024). Topic: Social media in the Philippines. Statista. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y5p24at9
  2. Berle, D. (2015). Cyberchondria. Mental Health in the Digital Age, 106–117. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199380183.003.0006
  3. Bulisig, J. A. C., & Aruta, J. J. B. R. (2023). Measurement and predictors of mental well-being in community samples in the Philippines during the COVID-19 crisis: Does religious coping matter?. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 26(6), 612–627. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2022.2031939
  4. Extremera, N., & Rey, L. (2015). The moderator role of emotion regulation ability in the link between stress and well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01632
  5. Gross, J. J., & Jazaieri, H. (2014). Emotion, emotion regulation, and psychopathology: An affective science perspective. Clinical Psychological Science, 2(4), 387–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702614536164
  6. Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 348–362. https://tinyurl.com/bdz4pp2k
  7. Gurvich, C., Thomas, N., Thomas, E. H., Hudaib, A. R., Sood, L., Fabiatos, K., & Kulkarni, J. (2021). Coping styles and mental health in response to societal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal Of Social Psychiatry, 67(5), 540–549. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020961790 
  8. Hall, K., & Sloan, E. (2021). Regulating emotions in young adulthood. Research Outreach, 125. https://doi.org/10.32907/ro-125-1684285593
  9. Hechanova, M. R. M., & Ortega‐Go, R. (2014). The good, the bad, and the ugly: Internet use, outcomes, and the role of regulation in the Philippines. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 63(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2014.tb00453.x
  10. Hsu, W. C. (2023). Development of a cyberchondria severity scale for university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. JMIR Preprints. https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/49451
  11. Hu, T., Zhang, D., Wang, J., Mistry, R., Ran, G., & Wang, X. (2014). Relation between emotion regulation and mental health: A meta-analysis review. Psychological Reports, 114(2), 341–362. https://doi.org/10.2466/03.20.pr0.114k22w4
  12. Jungmann, S. M., & Witthöft, M. (2020). Health anxiety, cyberchondria, and coping in the current COVID-19 pandemic: Which factors are related to coronavirus anxiety? Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 73, 102239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102239
  13. Kraiss, J. T., Ten Klooster, P. M., Moskowitz, J. T., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2020). The relationship between emotion regulation and well-being in patients with mental disorders: A meta-analysis. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 102, 152189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152189
  14. Manalastas, G. A. (2023). Emotion regulation strategies and internalizing/externalizing problems in Filipino Americans: The moderating role of acculturation (Doctoral dissertation, San Francisco State University). https://doi.org/10.46569/cf95jj87t
  15. McElroy, E., Kearney, M., Touhey, J., Evans, J., Cooke, Y., & Shevlin, M. (2019). The CSS-12: Development and validation of a short-form version of the cyberchondria severity scale. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(5), 330–335. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2018.0624
  16. Müller, A., Baumann, E., & Dierks, M. L. (2023). Cyberchondria. The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0624
  17. O’Day, E., Morrison, A. S., Goldin, P. R., Gross, J. J., & Heimberg, R. G. (2019). Social anxiety, loneliness, and the moderating role of emotion regulation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 38(9), 751–773. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2019.38.9.751
  18. Padagas, R., Duay, B. S., & Dalisay, J. (2022). Cyberchondria among Filipino teacher education students. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 11(3), 1074. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v11i3.22287
  19. Paul, S., Pruessner, L., Strakosch, A. M., Miano, A., Schulze, K., & Barnow, S. (2023). Examining the strategy-situation fit of emotion regulation in everyday social contexts. Emotion, 23(7), 1971-1984. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001209
  20. Pauw, L., Vu, T. V., Sun, R., Vuillier, L., Milek, A., & Sauter, D. (2020). Emotion regulation and wellbeing: A cross-cultural study during the COVID-19 outbreak. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/9qrw5
  21. Rowe, S. (2021). Cyberchondria: What it is, symptoms, and treatments. Psych Central. https://tinyurl.com/2t6txu4j
  22. Sarasjärvi, K. K., Elovainio, M., Appelqvist-Schmidlechner, K., Solin, P., Tamminen, N., & Therman, S. (2023). Exploring the structure and psychometric properties of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) in a representative adult population sample. Psychiatry Research, 328, 115465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115465
  23. Starcevic, V., & Berle, D. (2013). Cyberchondria: Towards a better understanding of excessive health-related internet use. Expert Review Of Neurotherapeutics, 13(2), 205–213. https://doi.org/10.1586/ern.12.162
  24. Stewart-Brown, S., & Janmohamed, K. (2008). Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale. User Guide. Version, 1(10.1037). https://tinyurl.com/3wvbvdpz 
  25. Tarabay, C., Bitar, Z., Akel, M., Hallit, S., Obeid, S., & Soufia, M. (2023). Cyberchondria severity and quality of life among Lebanese adults: The moderating effect of emotions. The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, 25(2), 46791. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.22m03252
  26. Troy, A. S., Shallcross, A. J., & Mauss, I. B. (2013). A person-by-situation approach to emotion regulation: Cognitive reappraisal can either help or hurt, depending on the context. Psychological Science, 24(12), 2505–2514. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613496434
  27. Verzeletti, C., Zammuner, V. L., Galli, C., & Agnoli, S. (2016). Emotion regulation strategies and psychosocial well-being in adolescence. Cogent Psychology, 3(1), 1199294. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2016.1199294
  28. Vismara, M., Caricasole, V., Starcevic, V., Cinosi, E., Dell’Osso, B., Martinotti, G., & Fineberg, N. A. (2020). Is cyberchondria a new transdiagnostic digital compulsive syndrome? A systematic review of the evidence. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 99, 152167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152167

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic