scholarly journals Perceived emotional and informational support for cancer: Patients’ perspectives on interpersonal versus media sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Bol ◽  
Camella J. Rising ◽  
Julia C. M. van Weert
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Informational Support ◽  
Patient Association ◽  
The Media ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
Equivalent Sources

Abstract This study examined cancer patients’ (N = 355, 65.4 % female, Mage  = 54.35, SDage  = 11.25) perceived emotional and informational support from a variety of interpersonal and media sources. We recruited patients from cancer patient association websites and online cancer forums and asked them to report to what extent they received support from interpersonal and media sources. Patients rated professional sources (e. g., oncologists) and personal sources (e. g., family) as nearly equal sources of emotional support; however, professional sources were rated as significantly greater sources of informational support. Although family and oncologists were the most mentioned interpersonal sources of support, they were also the most mentioned disappointing sources. Of the media sources, online interaction sources (e. g., online support groups) were rated as nearly equivalent sources of emotional support as interpersonal sources. That patients perceived emotional support, not only informational support, from various media sources is promising since interpersonal sources can be disappointing to some patients.

scholarly journals The impact of an online Facebook support group for people with multiple sclerosis on non-active users

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqui Steadman ◽  
Chrisma Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Informational Support ◽  
Online Support Group ◽  
Social Companionship ◽  
Active Membership

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease and there is little research on support networks for people with MS (PwMS). More specifically, most studies on online support groups focus on those who actively participate in the group, whereas the majority of those who utilise online support groups do so in a passive way.Objectives: This study therefore aimed to explore the experiences of non-active users of an online Facebook support group for PwMS. Emphasis was placed on the facilitators and the barriers that were associated with membership to this group.Method: An exploratory qualitative research design was implemented, whereby thematic analysis was utilised to examine the ten semi-structured interviews that were conducted.Results: Several facilitators were acquired through the online support group; namely emotional support (constant source of support, exposure to negative aspects of the disease),informational support (group as a source of knowledge, quality of information) and social companionship (place of belonging). Some barriers were also identified; namely emotional support (emotions lost online, response to messages, exposure to negative aspects of the disease), informational support (information posted on the group, misuse of group) and social companionship (non-active status).Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the non-active members of the online support group for PwMS have valid reasons for their non-active membership status. More important,the findings suggest that the online Facebook support group provided the group members with an important support network in the form of emotional support, informational support and social companionship, despite their non-active membership status or the barriers that have been identified.

scholarly journals Informational and emotional elements in online support groups: a Bayesian approach to large-scale content analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 508-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Deetjen ◽  
John A Powell
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Training Dataset ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Irritable Bowel

Objective This research examines the extent to which informational and emotional elements are employed in online support forums for 14 purposively sampled chronic medical conditions and the factors that influence whether posts are of a more informational or emotional nature. Methods Large-scale qualitative data were obtained from Dailystrength.org. Based on a hand-coded training dataset, all posts were classified into informational or emotional using a Bayesian classification algorithm to generalize the findings. Posts that could not be classified with a probability of at least 75% were excluded. Results The overall tendency toward emotional posts differs by condition: mental health (depression, schizophrenia) and Alzheimer’s disease consist of more emotional posts, while informational posts relate more to nonterminal physical conditions (irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, asthma). There is no gender difference across conditions, although prostate cancer forums are oriented toward informational support, whereas breast cancer forums rather feature emotional support. Across diseases, the best predictors for emotional content are lower age and a higher number of overall posts by the support group member. Discussion The results are in line with previous empirical research and unify empirical findings from single/2-condition research. Limitations include the analytical restriction to predefined categories (informational, emotional) through the chosen machine-learning approach. Conclusion Our findings provide an empirical foundation for building theory on informational versus emotional support across conditions, give insights for practitioners to better understand the role of online support groups for different patients, and show the usefulness of machine-learning approaches to analyze large-scale qualitative health data from online settings.

scholarly journals Can online support groups address psychological morbidity of cancer patients? An artificial intelligence based investigation of prostate cancer trajectories

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. e0229361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achini Adikari ◽  
Daswin de Silva ◽  
Weranja K. B. Ranasinghe ◽  
Tharindu Bandaragoda ◽  
Oshadi Alahakoon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Psychological Morbidity ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups

Facilitating online support groups for cancer patients: the learning experience of psycho-oncology clinicians

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 832-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne E. Stephen ◽  
Glenda Christie ◽  
Karen Flood ◽  
Mitch Golant ◽  
Michelle Rahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups

Investigation of the “alternative” effects of an online support group for mental health problems among Japanese adults: A cross-sectional study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Kobori ◽  
Naoki Yoshinaga
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Online Support Group ◽  
Usage Frequency

BACKGROUND Owing to the rapid development of social networking services, online support groups vary widely both in goal and structure. Several studies have shown the potential effectiveness of online support groups, such as reducing psychological distress (eg depression) among individuals with mental health problems. However, online support groups often do not aim at effectiveness regarding distress-relief-related outcomes. OBJECTIVE The U2plus.jp (hereinafter U2plus) is an online support group for individuals with depression; in it, people support each other in structured ways while engaging in simple cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) exercises. This study aimed to examine if usage frequency of the U2plus functions are associated with decreased stigma and increased consumer. METHODS In total, 355 U2plus users took part in an online survey. They were asked what therapy they had ever received, how often they logged into it and used each of its functions, and completed the following questionnaires: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Perceived Devaluation Discrimination Scale, and the General Help Seeking Scale. RESULTS Regarding the therapy they received, 89.3% (n=308) had been on medication for mental health problems, and 67.5% (n=233) had received psychotherapy or mental health counselling. Regarding the usage frequency, approximately 20% of the participants signed in to U2plus and used its functions more than once a week. The usage frequency of U2plus functions was not associated with perceived stigma. However, usage frequency of some functions was correlated to help seeking intentions from formal sources (eg doctors and psychologists). Moreover, 90% of the participants had a history of medication for their mental health. Additionally, the more depressed participants were, the more frequently they used U2plus. CONCLUSIONS It was suggested that online support groups may serve as an alternative treatment option for those who are already undergoing pharmacological treatment and are willing to seek help from whatever source they deem helpful.

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

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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