Scales · Turkish version · 2018
Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS)
Turkish: Siberkondria Şiddeti Ölçeği (SŞÖ)
A 33-item self-report scale of anxiety linked to searching for health information online (cyberchondria). It gives a total score and five subscale scores.
- 33 items
- Self-report
- Rated 1–5
- 5 subscales
- Turkish form · PDF
What does it measure?
- How often and how long people search online about health
- The distress and anxiety these searches cause
- How far the searches get in the way of daily tasks and activities
- Seeking reassurance from doctors, and trust in health professionals
How is it used?
- A 33-item form that people fill in themselves.
- Each item is rated from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always).
- The form opens by defining 'symptom', 'perceived medical condition' and 'internet search'.
Scoring
Total and subscale scores are the sums of the item scores; the total ranges from 33 to 165. Items 9, 28 and 33 are reverse-scored for analysis.
| Subscale | Items | Score range |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsion | 3, 6, 8, 12, 14, 17, 24, 25 | 8–40 |
| Distress | 5, 7, 10, 20, 22, 23, 29, 31 | 8–40 |
| Excessiveness | 1, 2, 11, 13, 18, 19, 21, 30 | 8–40 |
| Reassurance seeking | 4, 15, 16, 26, 27, 32 | 6–30 |
| Mistrust of medical professionals | 9, 28, 33 | 3–15 |
The Turkish version
- 337 university students (aged 16–55)
- Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original five-factor structure (CFI 0.91; TLI 0.90; SRMR 0.092).
- Internal consistency: Cronbach's α = 0.91 for the whole scale and 0.78–0.87 for the subscales (0.64 for mistrust of medical professionals).
- Scores were related, in the expected direction, to health anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and internet addiction.
References
Turkish version
Selvi Y, Turan SG, Sayın AA, Boysan M, Kandeğer A. The Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS): validity and reliability study of the Turkish version. Sleep Hypn. 2018;20(4):241-246. doi:10.5350/Sleep.Hypn.2018.20.0157
Original scale
McElroy E, Shevlin M. The development and initial validation of the cyberchondria severity scale (CSS). J Anxiety Disord. 2014;28(2):259-265. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.12.007
A scale does not make a diagnosis on its own; scores should be read alongside a clinical assessment. When you use a scale, please cite the Turkish validation paper and the original scale.