Tracking the contours and nature of social support in Facebook mutual aid groups during the COVID-19 pandemic

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of mutual aid groups were established on social media and operated as platforms through which people could offer or request social support. Considering the importance of Facebook mutual aid groups during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK but also the lack of empirical papers regarding the trajectories and types of social support rendered available through the groups, our aims in this paper are threefold; first, to examine the trajectory of social support-related activity during the period between March – December 2020; second, to compare offers and requests of support during the peaks of the first and second waves; and third to provide a rich description of the types of social support that were offered or requested through the online mutual aid groups. Our findings suggest that online social support activity declined soon after the peak of the first pandemic wave and, at least in Facebook mutual aid groups, did not reach the levels observed during the first wave. Offers of support during the first wave were higher compared to offers during the second wave, and similar was the case for requests for support. Also, offers for support were higher compared to requests for support during both the first and second wave. Finally, users could use the Facebook mutual aid groups to offer and request various types of practical, emotional, and informational support. Limitations of our study as well as implications are considered.

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Psychological distress associated with the second COVID-19 wave: Prospective evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study

10.31234/osf.io/8mpxr ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Daly ◽

Eric Robinson

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

School Age Children ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

Fixed Effects Regression ◽

The Uk ◽

Second Wave ◽

Pandemic Wave

BackgroundIn late 2020 a second wave of COVID-19 infections occurred in many countries and resulted in a national lockdown in the UK including stay at home orders and school closures. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of psychological distress before and during the second COVID-19 wave in the UK. MethodsThis study drew on data from 10,657 participants from the nationally representative probability-based UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) assessment measure was used to detect the proportion of UK adults experiencing clinically significant psychological distress. Changes in distress levels associated with the second pandemic wave were examined between September 2020 and January 2021 using logistic regression and linear fixed-effects regression models. ResultsLongitudinal analyses showed that the prevalence of clinically significant distress rose by 5.8% (95% CI:4.4-7.2) from 21.3% in September 2020 to 27.1% in January 2021, compared with a 2019 pre-pandemic estimate of 21% in this cohort. Fixed effects analyses confirmed that the second COVID-19 wave was associated with a significant within-person increase in distress (d =0.15, p<.001). Increases were particularly pronounced among those with school-age children in the home. LimitationsA non-specific measure of mental health symptoms was utilized and it was not possible to separate the potential impact of the pandemic from other changes occurring in tandem within the study period. ConclusionClinically significant distress rose during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and reached levels similar to those observed in the immediate aftermath of the first pandemic wave.

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Analyzing Online Social Support Within the Type 1 Diabetes Community

Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration - Global Perspectives on Health Communication in the Age of Social Media ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-3716-8.ch003 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 59-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kristin G. Maki ◽

Aisha K. O'Mally

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Chronic Illnesses ◽

Informational Support ◽

Online Social Support ◽

Social Media Platforms

Social support has been linked with many health outcomes, ranging from heart disease to depression. Although its importance has been recognized, less is known about how individuals with chronic illnesses may use social media to provide and seek social support. This chapter's focus is on the way in which people with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) use social media to provide and solicit social support. A mixed-methods approach is utilized. First, posts from two social media platforms were qualitatively content analyzed. Second, the data were quantitatively analyzed to provide a finer-grained understanding of the messages. The results show informational support as the most prevalent on both sites, although there are some differences in content and use. This chapter's implications highlight the importance of social media as a conduit for social support among caregivers and individuals affected by T1D.

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Responding to depression-related Imgur posts: A content analysis of social support and non-bona fide features in user-generated comments

Digital Health ◽

10.1177/2055207619890476 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 205520761989047 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brent J Hale

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Young Male ◽

Informational Support ◽

Support Provision ◽

Online Social Support ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

Bona Fide ◽

Use Of Social Media

Objectives A growing body of health communication scholarship has explored the utility of social media platforms for eliciting social support, although much of this scholarship has focused on Facebook and Twitter. This study contributes to this body of research by identifying support in comments submitted to depression-related Imgur posts. Furthermore, the use of non-bona fide linguistic features (e.g. humor, sarcasm, and irony) is documented for comparison with supportive elements. Methods A content analysis was performed of 1530 comments submitted in response to 20 popular Imgur posts about depression, including the emergence of four social support types outlined by the Multi-Dimensional Support Scale—reassuring, empathic, informational, and tangible support—as well as non-bona fide features. Results Findings suggest a supportive discourse, with nearly 60% of comments containing some supportive element. Reassuring and informational support emerged most prominently (26.3% and 26.2% of comments, respectively), followed by empathic (22.9%) and tangible (0.3%) support types. Non-bona fide features manifested in 28.8% of comments. Results indicate significant covariation between non-bona fide features and support, as these infrequently co-occurred. Conclusions This study’s findings suggest that depression-related messages frequently receive support from Imgur commenters, especially reassuring and informational support. Additionally, this study provides a conceptual framework for future analyses of online social support by integrating non-bona fide communication with established support types. The results of this study could have implications for health professionals and scholars interested in the use of social media platforms such as Imgur, which serves a predominantly young male demographic, for support provision.

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Analyzing Online Social Support Within the Type 1 Diabetes Community

Chronic Illness and Long-Term Care ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7122-3.ch017 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 338-358

Author(s):

Kristin G. Maki ◽

Aisha K. O'Mally

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Chronic Illnesses ◽

Informational Support ◽

Online Social Support ◽

Social Media Platforms

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The Strength of Weak Ties Revisited: Further Evidence of the Role of Strong Ties in the Provision of Online Social Support

Social Media + Society ◽

10.1177/20563051211024958 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 205630512110249

Author(s):

Nicole C. Krämer ◽

Vera Sauer ◽

Nicole Ellison

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Network Sites ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Weak Ties ◽

Informational Support ◽

Strong Ties ◽

Online Social Support ◽

Received Social Support ◽

Strength Of Weak Ties

In this work, we challenge the assumption that weak ties play uniquely important social support roles on social network sites, particularly regarding informational support. To overcome methodological limitations of earlier research, we present a mixed-methods study. Forty-one participants were interviewed and asked to identify five weak, medium, and strong ties each and to report on perceived and actually received social support (emotional, informational, instrumental, and appraisal) associated with each. Complicating traditional understandings of “the strength of weak ties,” the qualitative analyses of actual support events show that both emotional and informational support is provided by strong ties. In an additional quantitative between-subjects study design, 352 participants were asked about various aspects of a weak, medium, or strong tie. These results indicate that participants valued their strong ties more regarding every form of support. Although there were only weak correlations between perceived and recalled actually received support, people also report actual support events with strong ties to be more helpful—overall suggesting the strength of strong ties.

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The Online Social Support of Chinese Fellow Townsman in Post Pandemic

Jurnal Audiens ◽

10.18196/jas.v2i2.11911 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 209-214

Author(s):

Ning Gao

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Risk Society ◽

The Internet ◽

Mutual Aid ◽

Global Risk ◽

Online Social Support ◽

Bridging Social Capital ◽

Formal Organizations ◽

The Government

As a kind of disease risk, the global spread of the COVID-19 may just be a microcosm of the global risk society. Affected by the epidemic, people adopt more online virtual connections and have become more dependent on social media. This paper conducted the online social support of Chinese fellow-townsman analysis via conducting online participatory observations on the QQ group of Xinhua immigrants and conducting in-depth interviews with 15 of them. This study found that the social support obtained by the Chinese Fellow Townsman through the Internet interpersonal mutual aid network has made up for the shortcomings of formal social support to a certain extent. In the risk society, it helps individuals get immediate and personalized help. In terms of online social support sources, the Internet social support of Chinese Fellow Townsman mainly comes from bridging social capital. From the perspective of online support content, the online social support of this group is mainly manifested in emotional support, companionship support, and informational support, and the role of tangible support is relatively weak. As to the support effect, through the Online social support from the group, the peers can obtain timely, diverse, and non-redundant information to help them make better decisions. But the ability of interpersonal networks to provide resources is limited. When necessary, we still need social support from the government and other formal organizations.

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Kith and kin online: Social support and interpersonal conflict in virtual domains

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e511092014-145 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Marina Kahana ◽

Daniel Stokols ◽

Leah Van Deth ◽

Cathy Hayakawa

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Interpersonal Conflict ◽

Online Social Support

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Privacy Concern of Health Information Disclosure in mHealth: The Moderate Effect of Social Support (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.19594 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yuanyuan Dang ◽

Shanshan Guo ◽

Xitong Guo

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Health Information ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Information Disclosure ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Privacy Concern ◽

Informational Support ◽

Privacy Concerns ◽

Information Sensitivity ◽

Moderate Effect

BACKGROUND The mobile health (mHealth) provides a new opportunity for patients’ disease prediction and health self-management. At the same time, privacy problems in mHealth have brought forth significant attention concerning patients' online health information disclosure and hindered mHealth development. OBJECTIVE Privacy calculus theory (PCT) has been widely used to understand personal information disclosure behaviors with the basic assumption of a national and linear decision-making process. However, people’s cognitive behavior processes are complex and mutual. In attempting to close this knowledge gap, we further optimize the information disclosure model of patients based on PCT by identifying the mutual relationship between costs (privacy concerns) and benefits. Social support, which has been proved to be a distinct and significant disclosure benefit of mHealth, was chosen to be the representative benefit of information disclosure in mHealth. METHODS From an individual perspective, a structural equation model with privacy concerns, health information disclosure intention in mHealth, and social support from mHealth has been examined. RESULTS 253 randomly selected participants provided validated questionnaire. The result indicated that perceived health information sensitivity positively enhances the privacy concern (0.505, p<0.01), and higher privacy concern levels will decrease the health information disclosure intention (-0.338, p<0.01). Various aspects of individual characters influence perceived health information sensitivity in different ways. The informational support has a negatively moderate on reduce the positive effect between perceived health information sensitivity and privacy concerns (-0.171, p<0.1) and will decrease the negative effect between privacy concerns and health information disclosure intention(-0.105, p<0.1). However, emotional support has no directly moderate effect on both privacy concerns and health information disclosure intention. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that social support can be regarded as a disutility reducer, that is, on the one hand, it reduces the privacy concerns of patients; on the other hand, it also reduces the negative impact of privacy concerns on information disclosure intention. Moreover, the moderate effect of social support is partially supported. Informational support, one demission of social support, is significant, while the other demission, emotional support, is not significant in mHealth. Furthermore, the results are different among patients with different individual characteristics. This study also provides specific theoretical and practical implications to enhance the development of mHealth.

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The Association of Sources of Support, Types of Support and Satisfaction with Support Received on Perceived Stress and Quality of Life of Cancer Patients

Integrative Cancer Therapies ◽

10.1177/1534735421994905 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 153473542199490

Author(s):

Iván Ruiz-Rodríguez ◽

Isabel Hombrados-Mendieta ◽

Anabel Melguizo-Garín ◽

Mª José Martos-Méndez

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Support ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Multidimensional Analysis ◽

Informational Support ◽

Cancer Data ◽

The Family

Introduction: The aim of the present study is to carry out a multidimensional analysis of the relationship of social support with quality of life and the stress perceived by cancer patients. Methods: The participants were 200 patients with cancer. Data was gathered on sociodemographic characteristics, health, quality of life, social support and perceived stress. Results: Frequency of and satisfaction with different sources and types of support are related positively with improvement of quality of life and negatively with perceived stress. The emotional support from the partner and the emotional and informational support from the family are significant predictors of quality of life. Emotional support from the family reduces patients’ perceived stress. Satisfaction with emotional support from the partner and with the informational support from friends and family increases quality of life. Satisfaction with emotional support from the family and with informational support from friends decreases patients’ perceived stress. Instrumental support and support provided by health professionals are not good predictors of quality of life and perceived stress. Satisfaction with the support received is more significantly related with quality of life and stress than the frequency with which the sources provide support. Conclusions: These results have important practical implications to improve cancer patients’ quality of life and reduce their perceived stress through social support. Designing intervention strategies to improve satisfaction with the support provided to patients by their closest networks results in a global benefit for the patient’s quality of life.

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SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers in General Hospitals and Clinics in Japan

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073786 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3786

Author(s):

Tatsuya Yoshihara ◽

Kazuya Ito ◽

Masayoshi Zaitsu ◽

Eunhee Chung ◽

Izumi Aoyagi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Support ◽

General Population ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Immunoglobulin G ◽

Health Problem ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

General Hospitals ◽

Second Wave

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a serious public health problem worldwide. In general, healthcare workers are considered to be at higher risk of COVID-19 infection. However, the prevalence of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in Japan is not well characterized. In this study, we aimed to examine the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies among 2160 healthcare workers in hospitals and clinics that are not designated to treat COVID-19 patients in Japan. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G was 1.2% in August and October 2020 (during and after the second wave of the pandemic in Japan), which is relatively higher than that in the general population in Japan (0.03–0.91%). Because of the higher risk of COVID-19 infection, healthcare workers should be the top priority for further social support and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.

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