scholarly journals Exploring How People Affected by Methamphetamine Exchange Social Support Through Online Interactions on Facebook: Content Analysis

10.2196/14011 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. e14011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ellway ◽  
Rachel Reilly ◽  
Amanda Le Couteur ◽  
James Ward
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Network Support ◽  
Methamphetamine Use ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Tangible Support

Background Methamphetamine is an illicit and addictive psychostimulant that remains to be a significant cause of economic burden in Australia. Social media is increasingly being used by nongovernment organizations and health services to encourage the growth of social support networks among people with health-related issues. Several studies have investigated the utility of social media in providing social support to groups of people with health-related issues. However, limited research exists that explores how people who have been directly or indirectly affected by methamphetamine use social media for social support. Objective This study aimed to determine the types of social support being sought and provided by people affected by methamphetamine when interacting with others on a Facebook page. Methods A total of 14,777 posts were collected from a Facebook page and transferred into an Excel document for content analysis. The posts were manually coded into categories of social support using an adapted version of Cutrona and Suhr’s Social Support Behavior Code. Posts could be coded into more than one category. Saturation was reached at 2000 posts, which were used to draw inferences. Results Emotional support was the most offered support type, with 42.05% (841/2000) of posts providing this form of support. This is followed by esteem support, which was provided in 40.40% (808/2000) of posts. Overall, 24.20% (484/2000) of posts offered informational support. Network support and tangible support were the least offered support types, with 2.25% (45/2000) and 1.70% (34/2000) of posts offering these types of support, respectively. Conclusions This study suggests that online social support groups can be effective in challenging stigma by encouraging people affected by methamphetamine to connect with each other and talk about their struggles. This in turn represents an important step toward successful rehabilitation.

scholarly journals Exploring How People Affected by Methamphetamine Exchange Social Support Through Online Interactions on Facebook: Content Analysis (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ellway ◽  
Rachel Reilly ◽  
Amanda Le Couteur ◽  
James Ward
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Network Support ◽  
Methamphetamine Use ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Tangible Support

BACKGROUND Methamphetamine is an illicit and addictive psychostimulant that remains to be a significant cause of economic burden in Australia. Social media is increasingly being used by nongovernment organizations and health services to encourage the growth of social support networks among people with health-related issues. Several studies have investigated the utility of social media in providing social support to groups of people with health-related issues. However, limited research exists that explores how people who have been directly or indirectly affected by methamphetamine use social media for social support. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the types of social support being sought and provided by people affected by methamphetamine when interacting with others on a Facebook page. METHODS A total of 14,777 posts were collected from a Facebook page and transferred into an Excel document for content analysis. The posts were manually coded into categories of social support using an adapted version of Cutrona and Suhr’s Social Support Behavior Code. Posts could be coded into more than one category. Saturation was reached at 2000 posts, which were used to draw inferences. RESULTS Emotional support was the most offered support type, with 42.05% (841/2000) of posts providing this form of support. This is followed by esteem support, which was provided in 40.40% (808/2000) of posts. Overall, 24.20% (484/2000) of posts offered informational support. Network support and tangible support were the least offered support types, with 2.25% (45/2000) and 1.70% (34/2000) of posts offering these types of support, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that online social support groups can be effective in challenging stigma by encouraging people affected by methamphetamine to connect with each other and talk about their struggles. This in turn represents an important step toward successful rehabilitation.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 205520761989047 ◽  
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.

Online Social Support Groups/Communities

2022 ◽  
pp. 349-369
Author(s):  
Liza Ngenye ◽  
Kevin Wright
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Online Networks ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Health Related

Numerous studies over the past two decades suggest that people with a variety of health concerns are increasingly turning to online networks for social support. This has led to the rise of online support groups/communities for people facing health concerns. Researchers have found that these groups/communities provide patients, disease survivors, and caregivers a number of advantages and disadvantages in terms of mobilizing social support for their health-related concerns. This chapter will examine these issues in greater detail as well as the theoretical and practical implications of this body of research for patients who use online support communities to help cope with and manage a variety of health issues. It will provide an overview of online social support and health outcomes, discuss key processes and theoretical explanations for the efficacy of online support communities for people facing health concerns, and the limitations of this body of research as well as an agenda for future communication research on health-related online support groups/communities.

Online Social Support Groups/Communities

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liza Ngenye ◽  
Kevin Wright
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Online Networks ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Health Related

Numerous studies over the past two decades suggest that people with a variety of health concerns are increasingly turning to online networks for social support. This has led to the rise of online support groups/communities for people facing health concerns. Researchers have found that these groups/communities provide patients, disease survivors, and caregivers a number of advantages and disadvantages in terms of mobilizing social support for their health-related concerns. This chapter will examine these issues in greater detail as well as the theoretical and practical implications of this body of research for patients who use online support communities to help cope with and manage a variety of health issues. It will provide an overview of online social support and health outcomes, discuss key processes and theoretical explanations for the efficacy of online support communities for people facing health concerns, and the limitations of this body of research as well as an agenda for future communication research on health-related online support groups/communities.

scholarly journals Communication in health-related online social support groups/communities: A review of research on predictors of participation, applications of social support theory, and health outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 65-87
Author(s):  
Kevin Wright
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Health Related

This article reviews literature on online support groups/communities for individuals facing health concerns. Specifically, the article focuses on predictors of online support group/community participation, major theoretical frameworks that have been applied to the study of online support groups/communities, and coping strategies and health outcomes for individuals facing health concerns. Finally, the article discusses the strengths and limitations of existing empirical studies in this area; presents a critique of the relative merits and limitations of a number of theoretical frameworks that have been applied to the study of online support groups/communities for people facing health concerns; and it provides an agenda for future communication research on health-related online support groups/communities.

A Content Analysis of an Online Support Group for Survivors of Sexual Violence

2013 ◽  
pp. 85-105
Author(s):  
Jennifer Yeager
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Group ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Common Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Tangible Support

Surviving sexual violence has been described as one of the most traumatic life experiences, and social support is an extremely important coping strategy for survivors. With the rapidly increasing number of available online support communities, understanding exactly what kinds of support survivors need in the context on online social support groups is essential. This chapter presents a study of the types and extent of social support posts exchanged by members of an online social support group for survivors of sexual violence. The Social Support Behavior Code framework was used to code 755 messages that were posted over a 7-day period. Overall, emotional support (42.6%) was the most common support contained in posts, followed by information (21.2%), esteem (20.9%), network (13.1%), and tangible support (2.2%).

Analyzing Online Social Support Within the Type 1 Diabetes Community

2018 ◽  
pp. 59-84 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Social network support and harm reduction activities in a peer researcher-led pilot study, British Columbia, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulaf Elkhalifa ◽  
Ehsan Jozaghi ◽  
Samona Marsh ◽  
Erica Thomson ◽  
Delilah Gregg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Network Support ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Tangible Support ◽  
Peer Researchers ◽  
Future Work

Abstract Background People who smoke drugs (PWSD) are at high risk of both infectious disease and overdose. Harm reduction activities organized by their peers in the community can reduce risk by providing education, safer smoking supplies, and facilitate access to other services. Peers also provide a network of people who provide social support to PWSD which may reinforce harm reducing behaviors. We evaluated the numbers of supportive network members and the relationships between received support and participants’ harm-reducing activities. Methods Initial peer-researchers with past or current lived drug use experience were employed from communities in Abbotsford and Vancouver to interview ten friends from their social networks who use illegal drugs mainly through smoking. Contacts completed a questionnaire about people in their own harm reduction networks and their relationships with each other. We categorized social support into informational, emotional, and tangible aspects, and harm reduction into being trained in the use of, or carrying naloxone, assisting peers with overdoses, using brass screens to smoke, obtaining pipes from service organizations and being trained in CPR. Results Fifteen initial peer researchers interviewed 149 participants who provided information on up to 10 people who were friends or contacts and the relationships between them. People who smoked drugs in public were 1.46 (95% CI, 1.13-1.78) more likely to assist others with possible overdoses if they received tangible support; women who received tangible support were 1.24 (95% CI; 1.02-1.45) more likely to carry and be trained in the use of naloxone. There was no relationship between number of supportive network members and harm reduction behaviors. Conclusions In this pilot study, PWSD who received tangible support were more likely to assist peers in possible overdoses and be trained in the use of and/or carry naloxone, than those who did not receive tangible support. Future work on the social relationships of PWSD may prove valuable in the search for credible and effective interventions.

Online Social Support for Intimate Partner Violence Victims in China: Quantitative and Automatic Content Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 107780122091145
Author(s):  
Tsz Hang Chu ◽  
Youzhen Su ◽  
Hanxiao Kong ◽  
Jingyuan Shi ◽  
Xiaohui Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Machine Learning Technique ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Quantitative Content ◽  
Learning Technique

To examine the nature and content of messages presented in a popular Chinese online community about intimate partner violence (IPV), this study utilized a two-step analytic approach that combined quantitative content analysis and automatic content analysis. We collected 90,040 messages from the online community’s IPV group. Study 1 analyzed 8,343 randomly selected messages. The findings suggest that social support is commonly presented, while only a few messages expressed blame toward the victims. Study 2 analyzed the whole sample via machine learning technique and further showed that this online community was a space for the victims to obtain informational resources and emotional encouragement.

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