Background: The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for health-related information raises important questions about the psychological factors that shape trust in AI-generated health advice. The present study examined whether cyberchondria mediates the relationship between body image-related variables and trust in AI-generated health advice, and whether eHealth literacy moderates these associations.

Methods and Materials: The sample included 189 urban high-school students from Romania. Participants completed self-report measures assessing body self-esteem, body-related affect, cyberchondria, eHealth literacy, and trust in AI-generated health advice. Body Mass Index was calculated based on self-reported height and weight. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 and the PROCESS macro.

Results: Cyberchondria mediated the association of body-related affect with trust in AI-generated health advice (indirect effect b = 0.22, 95% bootstrap CI [0.13, 0.33]) and the association of body self-esteem with trust (b = -0.23, 95% bootstrap CI [-0.35, -0.12]), controlling for age, gender, and BMI. More negative body-related affect and lower body self-esteem predicted greater cyberchondria (both p < .001); cyberchondria, in turn, predicted greater AI trust in both models (both p < .001). eHealth literacy positively predicted AI trust in the two moderation models (p = .004 and p = .048, respectively), but neither interaction was significant (p = .211 and p = .431, respectively).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that cyberchondria may represent an important pathway linking body image-related vulnerability to increased receptivity toward AI-generated health guidance. The results highlight the need to consider psychological vulnerability, online health information-seeking patterns, and digital health literacy when evaluating adolescents’ trust in AI-based health tools.

Andreea-Gabriela Filimon is a second-year PhD student at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE), “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, Romania. Her research interests include organizational psychology, occupational burnout, clinical psychology, mental health, and the psychological implications of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Her current work also explores adolescents’ psychological vulnerabilities, cyberchondria, eHealth literacy, body image, and trust in AI-generated health information. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches connecting psychological well-being, digital health, and emerging technologies.