Cyberchondria Severity Scale
| Questions | Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Often | Always | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online prevents me from spending time on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. | |||||
| 2. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online disrupts my online leisure activities such as watching movies. | |||||
| 3. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online interferes with my other work or studies. | |||||
| 4. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online interferes with my job. | |||||
| 5. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online interferes with my offline social activities, such as reducing time spent with family or friends. | |||||
| 6. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online interferes with my offline daily tasks. | |||||
| 7. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online prevents me from reading news, sports, or entertainment articles online. | |||||
| 8. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online hinders or slows down my online communications via Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger, or Viber. | |||||
| 9. | I cannot relax after researching disease symptoms or health complaints online. | |||||
| 10. | My anxiety increases after researching disease symptoms or health complaints online. | |||||
| 11. | . I panic when I read online that my symptoms or complaints could indicate a rare or serious illness. | |||||
| 12. | . I believe I am completely fine until I read information about a serious illness online. | |||||
| 13. | I feel more anxious or distressed after researching disease symptoms or health complaints online. | |||||
| 14. | Hastalık belirtilerini/şikâyetlerimi internette araştırdıktan sonra iştahımı kaybederim. | |||||
| 15. | I find it difficult to soothe my worries regarding the disease symptoms or complaints I researched online. | |||||
| 16. | . I have difficulty falling asleep due to the information I find after researching disease symptoms or health complaints online. | |||||
| 17. | If I notice an unexplained condition in my body, I research it online. | |||||
| 18. | I repeatedly search for the same disease symptoms or health complaints online. | |||||
| 19. | While researching disease symptoms or complaints online, I visit websites where patients discuss their medical conditions, symptoms, and experiences. | |||||
| 20. | I read multiple web pages regarding the same medical condition. | |||||
| 21. | I read the exact same webpage multiple times regarding my symptoms or complaints. | |||||
| 22. | When I type my symptoms into a search engine, I assume that results are ranked by disease prevalence and that top entries represent the most likely diagnosis. | |||||
| 23. | When researching disease symptoms or complaints online, I only visit trusted websites. | |||||
| 24. | When researching disease symptoms or complaints online, I visit both trusted websites and forums where patients share experiences. | |||||
| 25. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online prompts me to consult my family physician. | |||||
| 26. | I discuss the medical information I find online with my family physician or healthcare professionals. | |||||
| 27. | . I suggest diagnostic methods that I read about online (such as biopsy, CT, MRI, special blood tests) to my family physician or specialist. | |||||
| 28. | Researching disease symptoms or health complaints online leads me to seek appointments with medical specialists across different fields. | |||||
| 29. | Discussing the online medical information related to my health problems with my family doctor provides me with relief. | |||||
| 30. | I often think that I would not have visited a doctor if I had not researched my symptoms online. | |||||
| 31. | I value the medical opinion of my family doctor or specialist more than my own online research. | |||||
| 32. | I trust the diagnosis made by my doctor more than any self diagnosis I make online. | |||||
| 33. | If my physician tells me to dismiss the medical information I found online, my anxiety subsides. |
The Cyberchondria Severity Scale (SCS-33) is a standardized 33-item self-report scale that assesses the individual's anxiety and behaviors related to online health information seeking and cognitive reactions towards seeking medical help. The language and content validity and Turkish validity and reliability of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale were conducted by Uzun and Zencir in 2016. By filling out this scale, you can increase your awareness about yourself and measure your anxiety level.
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