Authors : Saliha Rizman; Dua Majid; Reham Khan; Hareem Saman

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 6 - June

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/bdedd7p8

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/58w5vjnh

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jun1558

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Objectives: This study sought to explore how often university students at Gulf Medical University (GMU), UAE, engage in online self-diagnosis and how this behavior relates to their anxiety levels. It also aimed to examine whether trust in artificial intelligence (AI) health tools influences or moderates this relationship.  Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 427 Gulf Medical University students using a structured questionnaire. Sampling was done through volunteer sampling. Descriptive and inferential analyses (Spearman’s correlation, ANOVA, and regression tests) were performed using IBM SPSS version 29 to identify relationships between self-diagnosis frequency and state-trait anxiety. Spearman’s rank and Pearson’s correlation tests were applied to examine the relationships between self-diagnosis frequency, trust in AI health tools, and anxiety dimensions.

Keywords : Cyberchondria; Anxiety; Self-Diagnosis; Artificial Intelligence; Digital-Health Literacy.

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