Analyzing Online Social Support Within the Type 1 Diabetes Community

Author(s):  
Kristin G. Maki ◽  
Aisha K. O'Mally

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.

Author(s):  
Kristin G. Maki ◽  
Aisha K. O'Mally

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 205520761989047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent J Hale

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.


2020 ◽  
pp. 193229682096558
Author(s):  
Kristen Chalmers ◽  
Mia Smith ◽  
Megan Moreno ◽  
Faisal Malik

Background: The majority of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) integrate social media engagement into their daily lives. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents’ experiences and perspectives discussing their T1D on social media. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with adolescents with T1D were conducted in person and via telephone. Questions focused on the participant’s experiences utilizing social media to discuss T1D and factors that informed the nature of T1D-related social media engagement. Open coding and thematic content analysis were used to identify emergent themes that aligned with accepted domains of social media affordances. Results: Participants included 35 adolescents with T1D. Adolescents’ experiences related to discussing T1D on social media aligned with four affordances of social media: identity, cognitive, emotional, and social. The identity affordances of social media platforms allowed adolescents to curate online personas that selectively included their diagnosis of T1D, while managing the potential negative emotional and social implications linked to the stigma of T1D. Adolescents who decided to discuss T1D on social media leveraged cognitive affordances by providing and receiving diabetes management advice, emotional affordances by obtaining affirmation from peers, and social affordances by extending their network to include other individuals with T1D. Conclusions: Adolescents with T1D flexibly leverage the affordances offered by social media to access emotional support, information, and identity affirmation resources while navigating stigma-based social consequences. Our findings highlight the value of developing tools to support adolescents with T1D in comfortably discussing and receiving appropriate support about T1D on social media.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Wisk ◽  
Eliza B. Nelson ◽  
Kara M. Magane ◽  
Elissa R. Weitzman

Background: We sought to quantify the efficiency and acceptability of Internet-based recruitment for engaging an especially hard-to-reach cohort (college-students with type 1 diabetes, T1D) and to describe the approach used for implementing a health-related trial entirely online using off-the-shelf tools inclusive of participant safety and validity concerns. Method: We recruited youth (ages 17-25 years) with T1D via a variety of social media platforms and other outreach channels. We quantified response rate and participant characteristics across channels with engagement metrics tracked via Google Analytics and participant survey data. We developed decision rules to identify invalid (duplicative/false) records (N = 89) and compared them to valid cases (N = 138). Results: Facebook was the highest yield recruitment source; demographics differed by platform. Invalid records were prevalent; invalid records were more likely to be recruited from Twitter or Instagram and differed from valid cases across most demographics. Valid cases closely resembled characteristics obtained from Google Analytics and from prior data on platform user-base. Retention was high, with complete follow-up for 88.4%. There were no safety concerns and participants reported high acceptability for future recruitment via social media. Conclusions: We demonstrate that recruitment of college students with T1D into a longitudinal intervention trial via social media is feasible, efficient, acceptable, and yields a sample representative of the user-base from which they were drawn. Given observed differences in characteristics across recruitment channels, recruiting across multiple platforms is recommended to optimize sample diversity. Trial implementation, engagement tracking, and retention are feasible with off-the-shelf tools using preexisting platforms.


2021 ◽  
pp. 019394592110322
Author(s):  
Kathleen M. Hanna ◽  
Jed R. Hansen ◽  
Kim A. Harp ◽  
Kelly J. Betts ◽  
Diane Brage Hudson ◽  
...  

Although theoretical and empirical writings on habits and routines are a promising body of science to guide interventions, little is known about such interventions among emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. Thus, an integrative review was conducted to describe interventions in relation to habits and routines, their influence on outcomes, and users’ perspectives. A medical librarian conducted a search. Teams screened titles, abstracts, and articles based upon predefined criteria. Evidence from the final 11 articles was synthesized. A minority of investigators explicitly articulated habits and routines theoretical underpinnings as part of the interventions. However, text messaging or feedback via technology used in other interventions could be implicitly linked to habits and routines. For the most part, these interventions positively influenced diabetes self-management-related behaviors and health outcomes. In general, the interventions were perceived positively by users. Future research is advocated using habit and routine theoretical underpinnings to guide interventions.


2000 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Y.-Z Forrest ◽  
Dorothy J Becker ◽  
Lewis H Kuller ◽  
Sidney K Wolfson ◽  
Trevor J Orchard

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-159
Author(s):  
Ashby F. Walker ◽  
Desmond A. Schatz ◽  
Cathryn Johnson ◽  
Janet H. Silverstein ◽  
Henry J. Rohrs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly J McGorm ◽  
James David Brown ◽  
Rebecca Louise Thomson ◽  
Helena Oakey ◽  
Belinda Moore ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Recruitment and retention of research participants is challenging. Social media, particularly Facebook, has emerged as a tool for connecting with participants due to its high uptake in the community. The Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity (ENDIA) study is an Australia-wide prospective pregnancy-birth cohort following children who have a first-degree relative with type 1 diabetes (ACTRN1261300794707). A dedicated Facebook page was established for the ENDIA study in 2013 with the aim to enhance recruitment and support participant retention. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the long-term impact of Facebook as a recruitment and retention tool. The hypotheses were that (1) Facebook was an important source of referral to the ENDIA study, (2) the sociodemographic characteristics of participants recruited by Facebook would be different from those of participants recruited by other means (i.e., ‘conventional recruits’), and (3) recruitment by Facebook would be associated with long-term retention. We also evaluated the most effective types of Facebook content based on post engagement. METHODS Recruitment of 1511 ENDIA participants was completed in December 2019. Characteristics of participants recruited through Facebook were compared to conventional recruits using linear, logistic, and multinomial logistic regression models. A logistic regression model was used to determine the risk of study withdrawal. Data pertaining to 794 Facebook posts over 7.5 years from June 2013 until December 2020 were extracted using the Facebook ‘Insights’ function for thematic analysis. RESULTS Facebook was the third largest source of referral to the ENDIA study (300/1511; 19.9%) behind in-person clinics (500/1511, 33.1%) and healthcare professional referrals (347/1511, 23.0%). The ENDIA Facebook page had 2337 followers at the close of recruitment. Approximately 20% of these could be identified as participating parents. Facebook recruits were more frequently Australian-born (P<.001) enrolling postnatally (P=.01) and withdrew from the study at a significantly lower rate compared to conventional recruits (4.7% vs 12.3%; P<.001) after a median of follow-up of 3.3 years. CONCLUSIONS Facebook was a valuable recruitment tool for the ENDIA study and participants recruited through Facebook were three times less likely to withdraw during long-term follow-up. The sociodemographic characteristics of Facebook recruits were different to conventional recruits, but perhaps in unintended ways. Facebook content featuring stories and images of participants received the highest engagement despite the fact that most Facebook followers were not enrolled in the study. These findings should inform social media strategies for future cohort studies involving pregnant women and young families, and for type 1 diabetes risk studies. CLINICALTRIAL Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN1261300794707 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-13-124


2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1254-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Whittemore ◽  
Lauren Liberti ◽  
Sangchoon Jeon ◽  
Ariana Chao ◽  
Sarah S. Jaser ◽  
...  

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