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1
Digital technologies are now integral to health care, facilitating communication and patient self-management through tools like patient portals and telehealth.
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2
The psychological context of digital engagement is not well understood, with frequent engagement potentially indicating both proactive health management and underlying anxiety.
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3
Prior research has linked excessive online health information seeking to anxiety, but studies have focused more on general internet searches than clinical digital engagement.
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4
This study evaluates the association between digital health engagement and psychological distress using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey.
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5
Psychological distress was measured using the PHQ-4, assessing symptoms of anxiety and depression, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
