The Psychology of the Internet
The Psychology of the Internet
The Internet and Health Communication
The Internet and Health Communication
An analysis of social support exchanges in online HIV/AIDS self-help groups
Computers in Human Behavior
Differences among breast and prostate cancer online support groups
Computers in Human Behavior
Happier together: integrating a wellness application into a social network site
PERSUASIVE'10 Proceedings of the 5th international conference on Persuasive Technology
| Hi-index | 0.00 |
The explosion of use of Internet-based communication for health requires attention to the ways survivors of specific diseases and those close to them participate in using resources. This research focuses on two cancer groups - breast and prostate - and how they use WebMD asynchronous bulletin boards. Four hundred and eighty two messages were coded for communicator (survivors, spouses, others) and content of messages. Most common communicators were survivors, but the two groups differed in percentages of communicator. Of four main categories of content - medical/treatment, intimacy/sexuality, emotional expression, and support - most common were support and medical/treatment. The groups differed significantly on those four categories, with breast cancer more support-dominated and prostate more medical/treatment-dominated and more intimacy/sexuality messages. There were no group differences in emotional-toned vs. social support seeking vs. providing support, or positive vs. negative emotions expressed. Generally, there was considerable commonality, and the differences found primarily supported gender-specific notions of communication and need.