What can physicians learn from social forums: Insights from an on-line self help and support group

Purpose This study explored group experiences and individual differences in the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings perceived by adults who stutter. Respondents' goals when speaking and prior participation in self-help/support groups were used to predict individual differences in reported behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Method In this study, 502 adults who stutter completed a survey examining their behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in and around moments of stuttering. Data were analyzed to determine distributions of group and individual experiences. Results Speakers reported experiencing a wide range of both overt behaviors (e.g., repetitions) and covert behaviors (e.g., remaining silent, choosing not to speak). Having the goal of not stuttering when speaking was significantly associated with more covert behaviors and more negative cognitive and affective states, whereas a history of self-help/support group participation was significantly associated with a decreased probability of these behaviors and states. Conclusion Data from this survey suggest that participating in self-help/support groups and having a goal of communicating freely (as opposed to trying not to stutter) are associated with less negative life outcomes due to stuttering. Results further indicate that the behaviors, thoughts, and experiences most commonly reported by speakers may not be those that are most readily observed by listeners.

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Stuttering-Related Podcasts: Audio-Based Self-Help for People Who Stutter

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-20-00014 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 1131-1138

Author(s):

Lauren E. Dignazio ◽

Megan M. Kenny ◽

Erik X. Raj ◽

Kyle D. Pelkey

Keyword(s):

Support Groups ◽

Support Group ◽

Online Survey ◽

Multiple Choice ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Group Leaders ◽

Self Help ◽

Group Members

Purpose It is known that people who stutter (PWS) benefit from self-help experiences, such as attending support groups or conferences. However, limited research has been done to explore the listening of stuttering-related podcasts as a form of self-help for PWS. This study seeks to understand the reasons why PWS listen to stuttering-related podcasts and provide descriptions of their listening experiences. Method Thirty-three PWS who have listened to stuttering-related podcasts were recruited to participate in an online survey that included multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Responses were analyzed and grouped into descriptive themes. Results Participants reported listening to stuttering-related podcasts as a way to gain information and perspective. They also reported experiences that fit themes of empowerment and camaraderie, as a result of listening. Conclusions Stuttering-related podcasts seem to be a positive self-help tool for PWS. Stuttering support group leaders and/or speech-language pathologists may consider introducing their group members or clients who stutter to this type of audio-based self-help experience.

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Relationships Between Psychosocial Factors and Quality of Life for Adults Who Stutter

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2014_ajslp-14-0089 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Michael P. Boyle

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Support ◽

Support Group ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Group Identification ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Group Participation ◽

Self Help ◽

Adults Who Stutter

Purpose In this study, the author examined the relationship of social support, empowerment, self-help support group participation, and group identification to quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Two-hundred forty-nine adults who stutter completed a web-based survey, including measures of social support, empowerment, self-help support group participation, group identification, and quality of life. Results After controlling for demographic and stuttering parameters, both empowerment in the self-esteem/self-efficacy domain and social support from family significantly predicted quality of life in adults in the sample. Conclusions Increased self-esteem/self-efficacy and social support from family relates to improved quality of life in adults who stutter, independent of stuttering severity. Treatments that increase feelings of self-esteem/self-efficacy and strengthen social support from the family should be considered for individuals who struggle to cope with stuttering in order to enhance their quality of life.

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Bereaved Parents and Support Group Participation

OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying ◽

10.2190/ge71-45vv-b37f-7d5t ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 49-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Reiko Schwab

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Support Group ◽

Anticipatory Grief ◽

Traumatic Loss ◽

Group Participation ◽

Telephone Interviews ◽

Self Help ◽

Bereaved Parents

The study explored reasons why some bereaved parents participate in a self-help/support group while others do not. Data about forty-three support group participants and forty-two nonparticipants and their deceased children were obtained through questionnaires and telephone interviews. Over 76 percent of nonparticipants were found to have lost their child after a period of anticipatory grief while 80 percent of participants lost their child suddenly or without adequate forewarning. Having adequate support in their immediate environment was the reason stated by most for not joining a group. The majority of group participants mentioned that they needed a place to share grief with other bereaved parents even though their family and friends were supportive. It appears that bereaved parents are more likely to join a support group when they experience a particularly traumatic loss and do not find others who have suffered a similar loss in their usual social network.

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Conversion of Introductory Plant Biology Course and Lab to Web-Based Distance Ed Course

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.41.4.1002d ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 1002D-1002

Author(s):

Lucy Bradley ◽

Leslie Towill ◽

Jean Stutz ◽

Robert Roberson

Keyword(s):

Support Group ◽

Development Stage ◽

Plant Biology ◽

Instructional Designers ◽

Website Design ◽

Design Development ◽

Web Based ◽

Collaborative Project ◽

Graduate Assistants ◽

On Line

Conversion of the introductory plant biology course for non-majors from a lecture/lab format to a web-based course was a collaborative project between the Department of Plant Biology and the Instructional Support group at ASU. This course provides an introduction to biology through the world of plants by including lectures and laboratory activities that examine plant systems. The project was undertaken to provide students with an asynchronous opportunity to participate in either the course, the lab, or both. There were three distinct phases of implementation of the multimedia website: Design, Development, and Delivery. The design phase was driven by the faculty, who, along with graduate assistants, developed the course outline and content. They gathered images, identified concepts to be animated, and created storyboards to layout the sequence in the animation. The development stage was driven by the Instructional Designers who selected the appropriate media for animations and worked with developers to create them. The delivery phase was again driven by the professors. They implemented the website as a teaching tool, gathered feedback from students and teaching assistants, and worked with instructional designers and multimedia developers to improve the site. A wide variety of on-line multimedia components were incorporated into the website, including illustrations, images, animations, interactive modules, video and text. Three separate media packages were used: MacroMedia Flash (Macromedia, 2000), Director Shockwave (Macromedia, 2000), and QuickTime (Apple, Inc. 2000). Findings from surveys of students, faculty, and staff identified positive regard for the site as a whole. Several technological and logistical challenges were encountered and addressed.

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Muddy Rules for Cyberspace

10.31235/osf.io/jazfn ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dan Burk

Keyword(s):

Intellectual Property ◽

Transaction Costs ◽

Strategic Behavior ◽

Digital Communication ◽

The Internet ◽

Efficient Allocation ◽

Self Help ◽

Recent Scholarship ◽

On Line ◽

Number Of Parties

Digital communication media such as the Internet pose difficult challenges for traditional forms of intellectual property protection. Much recent scholarship and considerable governmental attention has been focused on adapting and expanding copyright to encompass digital works of authorship. These efforts have been justified on the grounds that clear property rights are necessary to allow efficient allocation of intellectual property between private parties. However, these rationales ignore the literature regarding the efficiency of unclear or "muddy" property entitlements. Where transaction costs of private bargaining are high, "muddy" rules will tend to force parties into informal bargaining transactions. Transaction costs on the Internet may tend to be high because of the number of parties involved, the difficulty of locating the parties, increased opportunity for strategic behavior, and the transborder nature of the medium. Thus, informal transactions or "self-help" may be the most efficient means for provision of digital works. In such a case, "muddy" or unclear rules should perhaps be favored for on-line entitlements.

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Partners in Care: Staywell Support Group for patients. In the beginning was an idea

Psychiatric Bulletin ◽

10.1192/pb.29.12.468 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 29 (12) ◽

pp. 468-469

Author(s):

Sandra Burton ◽

Adrian Blaj

Keyword(s):

Support Group ◽

Alcoholics Anonymous ◽

Self Help ◽

The Usa ◽

In The Beginning

Motto: With perseverance a blade of glass splits rocks(Chinese proverb).Over 3 years ago a former in-patient of mine walked quietly into my clinic and asked my opinion in respect of her desire to put something back into the system which helped her to recover. I instantly thought that this was a brilliant idea; a support group run by the patients for the patients! People around me remained sceptical about this project and simply thought the project was doomed to failure from the start as there was no known long-term successful precedent. Then I thought of the idea behind the enormously successful Alcoholics Anonymous self-help organisation founded in the USA by two alcoholic men, a surgeon and stockbroker. The result was impressive – I only wish that this project would find deep resonance in a few dedicated hearts and spread nationally. For those who want to read further about this against-all-the-odds journey, I stop myself and let Sandra tell the story about the origin of the Staywell Support Group.

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