Is Internet use associated with anxiety in patients with and at risk for cardiomyopathy?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the relation between online health information seeking behavior and anxiety level among a sample of patients with manifested cardiomyopathy or at risk for cardiomyopathy. METHODS: The research is a cross-sectional study conducted among 104 patients with cardiomyopathy diagnosis and patients at risk for cardiomyopathy. Patients completed 3 different questionnaires: Use of Internet Health Information questionnaire about the use of Internet, Short Form SF-12 items questionnaire on quality of life, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory measuring general anxiety levels. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients had a diagnosis of primary or secondary cardiomyopathy, and 56 patients, with conditions predisposing to cardiomyopathy. Eighty-five percent of the considered population is surfing the Internet to obtain nonspecific information about health in general, and the 65% use it to look specifically for heart disease. For both groups of patients with cardiomyopathy and at risk for cardiomyopathy, online health information seeking behavior is associated with substantially lower state anxiety levels (P = .041). CONCLUSION: Web use, as a source of health information, has been shown to be associated with anxiety reduction in patients with or at risk for cardiomyopathy, suggesting that Internet technology can be a useful instrument due to its informational power and its potentially therapeutic value.