scholarly journals Direction to an Internet Support Group Compared With Online Expressive Writing for People With Depression and Anxiety: A Randomized Trial

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Dean ◽  
Henry WW Potts ◽  
Chris Barker
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Internet Support Group ◽  
Internet Support ◽  
Internet Support Groups

Background Depression and anxiety are common, often comorbid, conditions, and Internet support groups for them are well used. However, little rigorous research has been conducted on the outcome of these groups. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an Internet support group in reducing depression and anxiety, and increasing social support and life satisfaction. Methods A randomized trial compared direction to an existing Internet support group for depression and anxiety with an online expressive writing condition. A total of 863 (628 female) United Kingdom, United States, and Canadian volunteers were recruited via the Internet. Online, self-report measures of depression, anxiety, social support, and satisfaction with life were administered at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Results All four outcomes – depression, anxiety, social support, and satisfaction with life – improved over the 6 months of the study (all P<.001). There was no difference in outcome between the two conditions: participants responded similarly to the expressive writing and the Internet support group. Engagement with the Internet support group was low, it had high 6-month attrition (692/795, 87%) and low adherence, and it received mixed and often negative feedback. The main problems reported were a lack of comfort and connection with others, negative social comparisons, and the potential for receiving bad advice. Expressive writing had lower attrition (194/295, 65%) and participants reported that it was more acceptable. Conclusions Until further evidence accumulates, directing people with depression and anxiety to Internet support groups cannot be recommended. On the other hand, online expressive writing seems to have potential, and its use for people with depression and anxiety warrants further investigation. Trial Registration Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01149265; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01149265 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6hYISlNFT)

scholarly journals Psychiatry on the Internet: survey of an OCD mailing list

1997 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan J. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Mailing List ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Internet Support Group ◽  
Internet Support ◽  
Source Of Information

Professionals and consumers have joined psychiatric support groups on the Internet. This paper reports on a survey of members of an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) mailing list (OCD-L). Members, who were primarily patients with OCD, but included family members and professionals, were generally positive about the benefits of the list, finding it a useful source of information about treatment, and a helpful source of support. It is concluded that a useful component of the management of OCD may include Joining OCD–L or a similar Internet support group, as benefits seem to outweigh possible problems. Further study of other Internet psychiatric support groups, which may differ significantly from OCD–L, seems warranted.

"There's Always Hope"

2010 ◽  
pp. 302-318
Author(s):  
Tamar Ginossar
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Group Methods ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Internet Support Group ◽  
Internet Support ◽  
Internet Support Groups

The Internet has changed the ways in which many people cope with illnesses, by allowing for conversations between similar others that transcend traditional barriers of time and place. Despite the revolutionary potential of Internet support groups, little is known about the ebb and flow of discussion in these groups. This chapter describes online discussion in a Lung Cancer Internet Support Group. Methods include quantitative and qualitative analysis of email messages posted to this group during one month. The results reveal (a) the content of the discussion, (b) participants in the discussion, (c) topics that elicited discussion and (d) themes and messages that were “silenced.” The implications of these findings to patients and their family members, to scholars, and to health practitioners are discussed.

scholarly journals THE EFFECT OF INTERNET SUPPORT GROUPS ON CAREGIVER SOCIAL SUPPORT AND SELF-EFFICACY: A META ANALYSIS

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 803-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.P. Oliver ◽  
S. Patil ◽  
J.J. Benson ◽  
A. Gage ◽  
K. Washington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Internet Support ◽  
Internet Support Groups

scholarly journals Kryzys rodziców dziecka z niepełnosprawnością w perspektywie nowych narzędzi normalizacyjnych

2018 ◽  
pp. 47-64
Author(s):  
Joanna Doroszuk
Keyword(s):  
Support Groups ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Cultural Transformations ◽  
Scientific Exploration ◽  
The Social ◽  
Internet Support ◽  
Internet Support Groups ◽  
Difficult Situations

Social and cultural transformations determine the functioning of a disabled child’s family. The Internet, support groups or associations are the new normalisation tools parents can use. They can affect both the structure of his or her parenting as well as the process of coping in difficult situations. The author analyses the social and emotional situation of parents of children with disabilities, based on her research. They describe the significant categories and areas important for further scientific exploration.

scholarly journals The Association Between Increased Levels of Patient Engagement With an Internet Support Group and Improved Mental Health Outcomes at 6-Month Follow-Up: Post-Hoc Analyses From a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily M Geramita ◽  
Bea Herbeck Belnap ◽  
Kaleab Z Abebe ◽  
Scott D Rothenberger ◽  
Armando J Rotondi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Patient Engagement ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Measurement Information ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Internet Support Group ◽  
Internet Support

BACKGROUND We recently reported that depressed and anxious primary care patients randomized to a moderated internet support group (ISG) plus computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) did not experience improvements in depression and anxiety over cCBT alone at 6-month follow-up. OBJECTIVE The 1% rule posits that 1% of participants in online communities generate approximately 90% of new user-created content. The aims of this study were to apply the 1% rule to categorize patient engagement with the ISG and identify whether any patient subgroups benefitted from ISG use. METHODS We categorized the 302 patients randomized to the ISG as: superusers (3/302, 1.0%), top contributors (30/302, 9.9%), contributors (108/302, 35.8%), observers (87/302, 28.8%) and those who never logged in (74/302, 24.5%). We then applied linear mixed models to examine associations between engagement and 6-month changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Short Form Health Survey Mental Health Component, SF-12 MCS) and depression and anxiety symptoms (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, PROMIS). RESULTS At baseline, participant mean age was 42.6 years, 81.1% (245/302) were female, and mean Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and SF-12 MCS scores were 13.4, 12.6, and 31.7, respectively. Of the 75.5% (228/302) who logged in, 61.8 % (141/228) created ≥1 post (median 1, interquartile range, IQR 0-5); superusers created 42.3 % (630/1488) of posts (median 246, IQR 78-306), top contributors created 34.6% (515/1488; median 11, IQR 10-18), and contributors created 23.1 % (343/1488; median 3, IQR 1-5). Compared to participants who never logged in, the combined superuser + top contributor subgroup (n=33) reported 6-month improvements in anxiety (PROMIS: –11.6 vs –7.8; P=.04) and HRQoL (SF-12 MCS: 16.1 vs 10.1; P=.01) but not in depression. No other subgroup reported significant symptom improvements. CONCLUSIONS Patient engagement with the ISG was more broadly distributed than predicted by the 1% rule. The 11% of participants with the highest engagement levels reported significant improvements in anxiety and HRQoL. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01482806; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01482806 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/708Bjlge9).

A Structured Support Group for Midlife and Older Adults with Vision Loss

1994 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.J. McCulloh ◽  
I. Crawford ◽  
J.D. Resnick
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Vision Loss

This article describes an eight-week structured social support group for midlife and older adults who are adventitiously visually impaired. The group objectives, topics covered, and issues encountered are presented, along with recommendations for developing future support groups for this population.

Reasons for attending support groups and organizational preferences: A replication study using the North American Scleroderma Support Group Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia Pépin ◽  
Linda Kwakkenbos ◽  
Marie-Eve Carrier ◽  
Sandra Peláez ◽  
Ghassan El-Baalbaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
North America ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

Peer-facilitated support groups are an important source for receiving disease-related information and support for people with systemic sclerosis (or scleroderma). A recent survey explored reasons for attending systemic sclerosis support groups in Europe and Australia and used exploratory factor analysis to group reasons for attendance into three main themes: (1) interpersonal and social support, (2) disease treatment and symptom management strategies, and (3) other aspects of living with systemic sclerosis. The objective of the present study was to replicate this study in a sample of patients from North America using confirmatory factor analysis. A 30-item survey was used to assess reasons for attendance and organizational preferences among systemic sclerosis patients in Canada and the United States. In total, 171 members completed the survey. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the three-factor model showed good fit to the data (χ2(399) = 646.0, p < 0.001, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.97, comparative fit index = 0.97, root mean square error approximation = 0.06). On average, respondents rated 22 (73%) of 30 items as “important” or “very important” reasons for attending support groups. Among organizational preferences, respondents emphasized the importance of the ability to share feelings and concerns, as well as educational aspects. Findings of our study suggest that reasons for attending support groups are similar for patients from Europe, Australia, and North America and that support groups should facilitate social support as well as disease education. These results inform the development of training programs for current and future systemic sclerosis support group leaders across the globe.

Patient-reported barriers to online meetings: The case of a myeloma support group in western Kenya in the era of COVID-19.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e24036-e24036
Author(s):  
Mercy Oduor ◽  
Kelvin Manyega ◽  
Therese Lotodo ◽  
Austin Okuku ◽  
Diana Namaemba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Support Group ◽  
Patient Support Group ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Group Meetings

e24036 Background: Multiple myeloma is a chronic progressive disease that calls for extended survivorship support post-diagnosis. Pre- COVID-19, the AMPATH Multiple Myeloma Program had created support groups for myeloma survivors and their caregivers that regularly met for health education, emotional support, and social opportunities. With the enforcement COVID-19 prevention and control protocols physical support group meetings became impossible. The program shifted to the online platform to sustain peer to peer support for myeloma patients and caregivers. We aim to describe challenges faced with online patient support group meetings as this has not been well documented in a resource-constrained setting. Methods: Myeloma patients and caregivers at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital were contacted and a meeting date and time agreed. Participants were briefed on how to download and operate the zoom application in preparation for online meetings. A meeting link was shared with the expected attendees and a reminder sent two days before a meeting. Support group meetings were held for different groups among them myeloma survivors and caregivers. The meeting sessions were led by healthcare professionals – hematology consultants, social workers, nutritionist and psychosocial counsellors. Peer-to-peer sessions were also held. Results: Six online meeting sessions were held between June 2020 and December 2020. A total of 199 participants were expected to join the six different meetings but a low meeting turn-out of 25.6% was experienced. Participants were later contacted to unravel the reasons for a low turn-out. A total of 129 participants were contacted of which 88 responded. Out of the 88 respondents, 29% reported a tight work schedule, 25% short time meeting alerts, 20% did not have access to smartphones, and 8% had poor internet connectivity and another 8% reported no internet data bundles to connect to the internet. Conclusions: Low attendance of online meetings was observed. Participants cited scheduling and internet access as major obstacles to attending online support group meetings. Improved access to the internet through smartphones, reliable internet connection, and affordable data are needed in underserved communities to fully unlock the benefits of virtual platforms namely cost savings and effective information sharing.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document