Using Social Media to Create a Support Network

Social Media and the Transformation of Healthcare: A Viewpoint (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25230 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ella Forgie ◽

Hollis Lai ◽

Bo Cao ◽

Eleni Stroulia ◽

Andrew James Greenshaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Health Information ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Virtual Communities ◽

Community Support ◽

Security And Privacy ◽

Support Network ◽

Full Potential ◽

Physician Patient Relationship ◽

Mediation Effects

UNSTRUCTURED As many as 80% of internet users seek health information online. The social determinants of health (SDoH) are intimately related to who has access to the internet and healthcare as a whole. Those who face more barriers to care are more likely to benefit from accessing health information online, granted the information they are retrieving is accurate. Virtual communities on social media platforms are particularly interesting as venues for seeking health information online because peers have been shown to influence health behaviour more than almost anything else. Thus, it is important to recognize the potential of social media to have positive mediation effects on health, so long as any negative mediation effects are reconcilable. As a positive mediator of health, social media can be used as a direct or indirect mode of communication between physicians and patients, a venue for health promotion and health information, and a community support network. False or misleading content, social contagion, confirmation bias, and security and privacy concerns must be mitigated in order to realize full potential of social media as a positive mediator of health. In any case, it is clear that the intersections between the SDoH, social media, and health are intimate, and they must be taken into consideration by physicians. Here, we argue that a paradigm shift in the physician-patient relationship is warranted, one where physicians: a) acknowledge the impacts of the SDoH on information-seeking behaviour, b) recognize the positive and negative roles of social media as a mediator of health through the lens of the SDoH, and c) use social media to catalyze positive changes in the standard of care.

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

10.2196/preprints.14011 ◽

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.

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

JMIR Mental Health ◽

10.2196/14011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (10) ◽

pp. e14011 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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