{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nWe examined whether cyberchondria was associated with resting heart-rate variability (HRV) in health sciences students.Methods\n\nIn this cross-sectional study of 600 students in Türkiye, we assessed cyberchondria using the 12-item Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12), negative affect using the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), self-reported screen exposure, anthropometry, and five-minute resting HRV. The root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) was the primary physiological outcome. A hierarchical model entered demographics, waist-to-height ratio, and physical activity, then screen exposure and anxiety, followed by CSS-12.Results\n\nCSS-12 correlated inversely with RMSSD (r = -0.412). After covariate adjustment, CSS-12 was associated with lower RMSSD (β = -0.256; p < 0.001), adding 4.9% to explained variance (final adjusted R² = 0.272). Waist-to-height ratio showed a smaller inverse association (β = -0.087). Overall, the four-factor CSS-12 model fit was good; comparisons between academic programs were unadjusted and exploratory.Conclusions\n\nHigher CSS-12 scores were associated with lower resting RMSSD after adjustment for measured general anxiety and total screen exposure. Health anxiety was not measured; therefore, the model cannot determine whether this association reflects cyberchondria-related behavior, overlapping health anxiety, or other unmeasured psychological and physiological factors. Prospective studies incorporating validated health-anxiety assessment and detailed digital-behavior and HRV measures are needed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bayburt University, Bayburt 69000, Türkiye.",
    "Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bayburt University, Bayburt 69000, Türkiye.",
    "Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum 25000, Türkiye."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tuğçe Orkun Erkılıç"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bülent Bayraktar",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2335-9089"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Seda Çelikel Taşci",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6578-9805"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b2hf6m82qqygd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/bs16101759",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13701214",
  "id": "b2hf6m82qqygd",
  "issns": [
    "2076-328X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938478",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2705|Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214629412",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13701214?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13701214",
  "pmid": "42938478",
  "published": "2026-09-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b2hf6m82qqygd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:24Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42938478",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938478"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2705|Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control",
      "subfield": "cardiovascular"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The Relationship of Cyberchondria, Negative Affect, and Anthropometric Indices with Heart-Rate Variability Among Health Sciences Students: A Psychophysiological Study of Digital Health-Information Behavior.",
  "title_text": "The Relationship of Cyberchondria, Negative Affect, and Anthropometric Indices with Heart-Rate Variability Among Health Sciences Students: A Psychophysiological Study of Digital Health-Information Behavior.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b2hf6m82qqygd",
  "venue": "Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)",
  "versions": []
}