Scoliosis is a three-dimensional torsional deformity of the spine and trunk characterized by alignment abnormalities in the coronal plane, the presence of axial rotation in the horizontal plane, and abnormalities in the normal spinal curves (lordosis-kyphosis) in the sagittal plane. The most common type of scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), has a prevalence of approximately 3%. AIS accounts for 85% of all scoliosis types. AIS is the name given to scoliosis diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 18. Because they are actively engaged with the internet, young people have begun researching health-related topics online due to the ease of access to such information. The internet has overshadowed traditional sources of health information, such as social circles, mass media (television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.), and medical and non-medical health professionals; searching for medical information online has become a popular activity. Searching for medical information online appears to offer various advantages in terms of anonymity, cost-effectiveness, potential for interaction, opportunities for social support, and the amount of accessible information. However, it also carries significant drawbacks due to the risk of exposure to contradictory, confusing, unreliable, inaccurate, or outdated information. Cyberchondria is when a person's desire to research health-related symptoms online turns into excessive anxiety and repeated online searches. This can increase a person's health-related worries and fears and lead to mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression. In today's information age, adolescents spend a large part of their day on the internet using smartphones and researching the symptoms of their current illnesses online before consulting a doctor or when they receive a diagnosis. This tendency can increase their anxiety levels due to misinformation. Cyberchondria is the reflection of anxiety in the digital age. Comorbidity in psychiatric disorders has generally been evaluated, but there are only a limited number of studies investigating the level of cyberchondria in a specific disease. There are no studies examining the relationship between cyberchondria and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. This study aims to investigate the levels of cyberchondria and related factors in patients diagnosed with scoliosis and compare them with a control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients aged 12-20 years with a diagnosis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis established through clinical and radiological evaluation (Cobb angle >10°) (patient group)
• Patients who presented to the outpatient clinic for follow-up without any complaints during a 3-month period following ethics committee approval (control group)
• Patients who were informed about the study and agreed to participate, as well as the families of eligible patients

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of a psychiatric disorder or use of psychotropic medications
• Presence of somatic pain disorder
• History of orthopedic, neurological, or rheumatological conditions that may affect the spine
• Pregnancy
• Participants who were informed about the study but declined to participate, as well as the families of eligible patients

This study will include patients aged 12-20 years who presented to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic at Buca Seyfi Demirsoy Training and Research Hospital, Izmir Democracy University, between June 2022 and June 2025, and who were diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis based on clinical and radiological evaluations. Individuals who underwent scoliosis X-rays during this timeframe will be retrospectively screened, and those with a Cobb angle of 10 degrees or higher on their X-rays, for whom a scoliosis diagnosis was noted in their medical history or a scoliosis diagnosis code was entered, will be included in the study's patient group.

For comparison purposes, healthy individuals with a similar age and gender distribution who presented to the outpatient clinic without any complaints and solely for routine check-ups during the 3-month period following ethics committee approval will be included as the control group.

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared because the data contain potentially identifiable sensitive clinical information, and sharing was not covered in the original informed consent provided to participants. Additionally, institutional and national data protection regulations limit the transfer of raw, de-identified individual-level data outside the research team.