scholarly journals How Could Peers in Online Health Community Help Improve Health Behavior

Author(s):  
Yumei Li ◽  
Xiangbin Yan

Human behavior is the largest source of variance in health-related outcomes, and the increasingly popular online health communities (OHC) can be used to promote healthy behavior and outcomes. We explored how the social influence (social integration, descriptive norms and social support) exerted by online social relationships does affect the health behavior of users. Based on an OHC, we considered the effect of three types of social relationships (friendship, mutual support group and competing group) in the OHC. We found that social integration, descriptive norms and social support (information and emotional support) from the OHC had a positive effect on dietary and exercise behavior. Comparing the effects of different social relationships, we found that the stronger social relationship—friendship—had a stronger effect on health behavior than the mutual support group and competing group. Emotional support had a stronger effect on health behavior than informational support. We also found that the effects of social integration and informational support became stronger as membership duration increased, but the effects of the descriptive norms and emotional support became smaller. This study extended the research on health behavior to the online social environment and explored how the social influence exerted by various social relationships in an OHC affected health behavior. The results could be used for guiding users to make use of online social relationships for changing and maintaining healthy behavior, and helping healthcare websites improve their services.

2012 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 977-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Dominguez-Fuentes ◽  
María Isabel Hombrados-Mendieta

The association between perceived social support and happiness was investigated in women who are members of various associations in Malaga (Spain) that work with immigrant women. Based on the Social Convoy model, the association between sources of support, frequency of support, satisfaction with support, and happiness reported by women were examined. The main social support predictor of happiness was satisfaction with the support received. Thus, the best predictors of happiness were emotional support from the family and instrumental support from the indigenous population and associations. The best predictor of frequency of support was the frequency of informational support received from social services. These results may prove useful for developing lines of action or interventions centred on the social network and the functions that social support can fulfil among immigrant women.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

Due to the social networking relationship, users’ continuance of social networking sites (SNS) may receive social influence from their peers and referents. This research identified the effect of social support on social influence in mobile SNS. Social support consists of both informational support and emotional support. Social influence is reflected by three factors: subjective norm, social identity and group norm. The results suggested that social support has a significant effect on social influence. The results imply that service providers need to build a supportive climate in order to facilitate social influence and users’ continuance usage.


1982 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Pilisuk ◽  
Susan Chandler ◽  
Carole D'Onofrio

Contemporary society leaves many individuals without a continuing support group. Continued integration into a network of supportive social relationships is demonstrably related to the prevention of breakdown in health in the widest variety of mental and physical forms. Yet the task of assuring continuity of supportive relationships has not been central to any professional discipline. The facilitation of social support is likely to become more central to community health education. To address this issue we examine seven different forms of intervention which address the problem of augmenting supportive relationships. The goal is to extract the essence of the professional role in the provision of social support and to suggest its relevance to community health education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Ainun Rahmawati ◽  
Yuni Nurhamida

Abstrak. Remaja akhir sendiri memiliki kebutuhan untuk berkomunikasi dengan teman sebaya, sehingga media instagram menjadi kebutuhan sehari-hari. Media instagram merupakan kemajuan teknologi yang perlahan menggeser sosialisasi secara langsung menjadi virtual. Dukungan sosial teman virtual yaitu dukungan sosial yang didapat melalui dunia maya. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk menggambarkan dukungan sosial teman virtual melalui media instagram. Subjek penelitian berjumlah 428 mahasiswa dengan metode pengambilan data purposive sampling. Pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan kuisoner berdasarkan bentuk dukungan yaitu bentuk dukungan sosial instrumental, informasional, emosional, penghargaan diri dan jaringan sosial. Hasil dari penelitian ini yaitu bentuk dukungan tertinggi pada dukungan instrumental berjumlah 86,9 %, urutan kedua yaitu bentuk dukungan informasional berjumlah 79,7 %, urutan ketiga yaitu bentuk dukungan jaringan sosial berjumlah 56,5 %, diurutan keempat bentuk dukungan penghargaan berjumlah 34,8% dan diuruta kelima bentuk dukungan emosional berjumlah 23,6 %. Kata kunci : dukungan sosial teman virtual, instagram, remaja akhir Abstract. Late teens themselves have a need to communicate with peers, so that instagram media into their daily needs. Media instagram is slowly shifting technological advances directly into a virtual socialization. Social support virtual friends that social support is obtained through cyberspace. The purpose of this study to describe the social support virtual friends via instagram media. Subjects numbered 428 students with purposive sampling method of data collection. Collecting data in this study using a questionnaire based on the form of support is a form of social support instrumental, informational, emotional, self-esteem and social networks. Results from this research that the highest form of support in instrumental support amounted to 86.9%, The second sequence that forms informational support amounted to 79.7%, the third is a form of social networking support amounted to 56.5%, in fourth form of support awards amounted to 34.8% and the fifth in the form of emotional support amounted to 23.6%. Keywords: social support virtual friends, instagram, late adolescence


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Syamya Nor Hasanah ◽  
Irfan Noor ◽  
Shanty Komalasari

Autism is a developmental disorder that result in a children growth does not develop optimally, both in terms of communication, social interaction motor, sensory and emotion, so that children needs social support from people around them, especially parents in doing daily activities. Social support is divided into four type, that is emotional support, esteem support, tangible or instrumental support, and informational support. Type of research using case study with a qualitative approach. The research subject were father and mother who have autism children and have services for children with special needs. Data collection techniques using observation, interview, and documentation. Data analysis techniques using data collection techniques, data reduction data presentation and drawing conclusions. The results show that the social support which is given by parents including emotional support in the form of affection, care and concern, listening and trusting, then esteem support in the form giving reward for positive things done by children, informational support in the form of finding out and giving information that the children needs, tangible or instrumental support in the form of providing materials and facilities, provides job assistance or services and spending time.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Dang ◽  
Shanshan Guo ◽  
Xitong Guo

BACKGROUND The mobile health (mHealth) provides a new opportunity for patients’ disease prediction and health self-management. At the same time, privacy problems in mHealth have brought forth significant attention concerning patients' online health information disclosure and hindered mHealth development. OBJECTIVE Privacy calculus theory (PCT) has been widely used to understand personal information disclosure behaviors with the basic assumption of a national and linear decision-making process. However, people’s cognitive behavior processes are complex and mutual. In attempting to close this knowledge gap, we further optimize the information disclosure model of patients based on PCT by identifying the mutual relationship between costs (privacy concerns) and benefits. Social support, which has been proved to be a distinct and significant disclosure benefit of mHealth, was chosen to be the representative benefit of information disclosure in mHealth. METHODS From an individual perspective, a structural equation model with privacy concerns, health information disclosure intention in mHealth, and social support from mHealth has been examined. RESULTS 253 randomly selected participants provided validated questionnaire. The result indicated that perceived health information sensitivity positively enhances the privacy concern (0.505, p<0.01), and higher privacy concern levels will decrease the health information disclosure intention (-0.338, p<0.01). Various aspects of individual characters influence perceived health information sensitivity in different ways. The informational support has a negatively moderate on reduce the positive effect between perceived health information sensitivity and privacy concerns (-0.171, p<0.1) and will decrease the negative effect between privacy concerns and health information disclosure intention(-0.105, p<0.1). However, emotional support has no directly moderate effect on both privacy concerns and health information disclosure intention. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that social support can be regarded as a disutility reducer, that is, on the one hand, it reduces the privacy concerns of patients; on the other hand, it also reduces the negative impact of privacy concerns on information disclosure intention. Moreover, the moderate effect of social support is partially supported. Informational support, one demission of social support, is significant, while the other demission, emotional support, is not significant in mHealth. Furthermore, the results are different among patients with different individual characteristics. This study also provides specific theoretical and practical implications to enhance the development of mHealth.


Author(s):  
Martin Krzywdzinski

This chapter examines the organizational socialization mechanisms in automotive plants in Russia and China. The empirical analysis starts with selection processes. How do the companies select candidates during recruitment and whom do they select? Are they looking for a certain type of employee? The chapter continues with the analysis of onboarding concepts in China and Russia and then follows the employees within their teams. It analyzes the social relationships in the team, which influence the socialization processes within the company. Finally, overarching company activities intended to promote social integration (team building, competitions) are examined to determine the extent to which they shape work behaviors and generate identification with the company. The analysis shows considerable differences between the Russian and the Chinese plants regarding the intensity and the effects of organizational socialization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153473542199490
Author(s):  
Iván Ruiz-Rodríguez ◽  
Isabel Hombrados-Mendieta ◽  
Anabel Melguizo-Garín ◽  
Mª José Martos-Méndez

Introduction: The aim of the present study is to carry out a multidimensional analysis of the relationship of social support with quality of life and the stress perceived by cancer patients. Methods: The participants were 200 patients with cancer. Data was gathered on sociodemographic characteristics, health, quality of life, social support and perceived stress. Results: Frequency of and satisfaction with different sources and types of support are related positively with improvement of quality of life and negatively with perceived stress. The emotional support from the partner and the emotional and informational support from the family are significant predictors of quality of life. Emotional support from the family reduces patients’ perceived stress. Satisfaction with emotional support from the partner and with the informational support from friends and family increases quality of life. Satisfaction with emotional support from the family and with informational support from friends decreases patients’ perceived stress. Instrumental support and support provided by health professionals are not good predictors of quality of life and perceived stress. Satisfaction with the support received is more significantly related with quality of life and stress than the frequency with which the sources provide support. Conclusions: These results have important practical implications to improve cancer patients’ quality of life and reduce their perceived stress through social support. Designing intervention strategies to improve satisfaction with the support provided to patients by their closest networks results in a global benefit for the patient’s quality of life.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyi Ou ◽  
yunhanqi ◽  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Yuexiao Du ◽  
Yihang He ◽  
...  

The social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic exerts lasing impacts on people’s mental health. However, whether and how people’s pre-existing positive social relationships can serve as stable reserves to alleviate people psychological distress following the disaster remains unknown. To address the question, the current study examined whether pre-pandemic relationship satisfaction would predict post-pandemic COVID-19 anxiety through middle-pandemic perceived social support and/or gratitude using four-wave data in China (N = 222, 54.50% female, Mage = 31.53, SD = 8.17). Results showed that people’s COVID-19 anxiety decreased from the peak to the trough pandemic stage; perceived social support increased markedly from the pre-pandemic to the peak and remained stable afterwards, while relationship satisfaction remained unchanged throughout. Further, it was middle-pandemic perceived social support, but not gratitude, mediated the association between pre-pandemic relationship satisfaction and post-pandemic COVID-19 anxiety, indicating perceived social support played a more crucial role than gratitude in this process. Last, it is suggested to distinguish perceived social support from gratitude as two different components of social interactions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1321-1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla Ferraz dos Anjos ◽  
Rita Narriman Silva de Oliveira Boery ◽  
Rafael Pereira ◽  
Larissa Chaves Pedreira ◽  
Alba Benemérita Alves Vilela ◽  
...  

Objective: to ascertain the association between the social support and the quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents at home.Method: a cross-sectional study conducted with 58 relative caregivers of elderly dependents, registered in the Family Health Strategy. Data were collected from the Katz instrument, sociodemographic, Zarit Burden Interview, WHOQOL-bref, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression.Results: the majority of caregivers were women, who took care full-time and presented moderate to severe burden. Most caregivers are satisfied with their social relationships and the social support received. It is found that the burden and the time of care correlated with the social relationships domain, which is associated with social support, and consequently, reduced quality of life.Conclusion: social support for caregivers is important to prevent health implications, burden, biopsychosocial stress, and provide favorable conditions for quality of life, by allowing greater freedom to develop their daily activities.


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