Illness Perception Does Not Predict Telemedicine Adoption Among Students at a Private University in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between illness perception and telemedicine adoption among university students at a private institution in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 121 active university students through purposive sampling. Illness perception was measured using a 12-item instrument adapted from the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ), framed around a hypothetical illness scenario, while telemedicine adoption was measured using a 3-item behavioural intention scale adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data were analysed using Spearman's rank correlation, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: The mean illness perception score was 38.14 (SD = 7.23), with 61.2% of respondents falling in the moderate category. Telemedicine adoption was skewed toward high levels, with 65.3% of respondents categorised as high adopters (mean = 11.43/15, SD = 2.48). Spearman's correlation returned r = 0.166 (p = 0.069), indicating no statistically significant association between the two variables. The achieved post-hoc power was 44.4%, with a minimum detectable effect of r = 0.252 at 80% power.

Conclusion: Illness perception was not a significant predictor of telemedicine adoption in this sample. Digital health promotion strategies targeting Indonesian young adults should prioritise technology-oriented and social determinants over illness cognition alone. Multi-site studies using larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.