Table 3. Descriptors of Long (>3 hours) versus Short-duration (<1 hour) Internet Symptom Searchers.
| High Use (>3 hrs/ Day) | Low Use (<1 hr/ Day) | t | p value | Effect Size (d) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M (SD) | M (SD) | ||||
| Age | 33.53 (12.40) | 32.95 (12.97) | -.46 | .65 | .05 |
| Years of Education | 15.19 (2.99) | 15.96 (2.36) | 2.82* | <.01 | .28 |
| Number of Diseases Feared | 5.38 (4.29) | 3.43 (2.82) | -5.30* | <.01 | .53 |
| Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Total Score | 20.13 (7.04) | 14.18 (7.86) | -5.86 | .12 | .80 |
| • SDS Work | 6.50 (2.67) | 4.64 (3.03) | -4.62 | .12 | .65 |
| • SDS Social | 7.11 (2.55) | 5.23 (2.86) | -5.04 | .10 | .70 |
| • SDS Family | 6.94 (2.45) | 5.08 (2.91) | -5.03* | .02 | .72 |
| Whitely Total Score | 56.26 (8.63) | 41.13 (15.00) | -12.70* | <.01 | 1.30 |
| Frequency of Checking (Worst Day/Past Year) | 4.01 (.93) “5 of more times” | 2.34 (1.08) “1 time per day” | 16.74* | <.01 | 1.67 |
| Anxiety During Internet Checking | 5.14 (1.60) “Slightly more anxiety” | 4.37 (1.83) “No change in anxiety” | -4.54* | <.01 | .45 |
| Anxiety After Internet Checking | 5.28 (1.55) “Slightly more anxiety” | 4.17 (1.83) “No change in anxiety” | -6.63* | <.01 | .66 |
| χ2 value | p value | Effect Size (rΦ) | |||
| Gender (Female) | 56.2% | 75.0% | 14.69* | <.01 | .34 |
| Ethnicity (White) | 75.7% | 66.2% | 0.28 | .60 | .03 |
| Health Insurance | 77.0% | 80.0% | 0.54 | .46 | .03 |
| Health Education Degree | 10.8% | 18.7% | 5.12* | .02 | .11 |
| Medically Stable | 72.5% | 68.3% | 0.79 | .37 | .05 |
| Anxiety During Internet Checking (Endorsed Worseninga) | 72.1% | 51.9% | 17.87* | <.01 | .21 |
| Anxiety After Internet Checking (Endorsed Worseninga) | 71.7% | 46.0% | 28.1* | <.01 | .26 |
Notes:
*
= p < .05;
a
“Worsening Anxiety” as defined as a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the CGI indicating “Slightly” to “Significantly More Anxiety”; n low internet use = 185, except for SDS scores where n = 76; high internet users n = 226, except for SDS scores where n = 161.