Online Social Support: An Effective Means of Mediating Stress

By Cindy Dietrich
2010, Vol. 2 No. 02 | pg. 5/5 |

Social Change Implications

Walden University is committed to social change as a way to improve the social condition for everyone (Walden University, 2009).  For this reason, Walden University has incorporated positive social change into all the work of its community of scholars.  The present research has great capacity to positively contribute to the development of best practices in clinical settings and extend work done in a clinical or face to face support groups.

How the Present Review Promotes Social Change

There are significant social implications for the present research paper.  There are a number of people who spend time on the internet searching for social connections and relationships; evidenced by the sheer number of people participating in social sites, such as Facebook and EHarmony.  Further, not only has the internet been associated with connection, but also with distraction (Venderwerker & Prigerson, 2003).  For a great many populations, surfing the internet passes time, or distracts people from stressful life events, much like television, video games, or movies.  As a result, understanding the phenomenon of social support available online is important for so many.

The internet, as a means to social support, is a cutting edge resource parents may chose to explore, in an effort to develop a support system, as they endure the child’s illness.  With this in mind, it is important that doctors, nurses, social workers, and other clinicians need to be mindful of the quality of the internet parent support groups, in which people are participating.  An additional, important benefit of this avenue of research is that this body of work will inform the community of psychologists and therapists; which may lead to improved services for individuals with health and psychological issues.  Interested parties will benefit from well considered and well designed, comprehensive treatment plans.  There is a significant amount of health information on the internet (Saab et al., 2004).  Some information is not at reliable as other information, which is one concern that medical providers share.  Misinformation can occur, which can mislead many.

Navigating the information, making determinations regarding the value of the information, and understanding how the information applies to individuals are essential to clinicians. It is challenging, but worthy of great efforts.  Developing and monitoring high quality internet resources are necessary.  Further research on all aspects of this innovative type of support for families experiencing serious illness is needed.  This is an area that has just begun to be explored. In light of the fact the internet is here to stay, it is critical to continue Baum’s work and develop research on internet parent support groups.

Summary Comments

Online support groups offer users a safe place to express themselves, share their experiences, gather information, and find support (Sullivan, 2003).  And, Sullivan concluded that many of the users are generally very pleased with their experiences.  Sullivan commented that one difference between face to face groups and online support group is that online, asynchronous groups tend to be self managed, whereas face to face groups are facilitated by a physician or psychologist.  Further, a mix of face to face and online groups may be most beneficial in helping patients cope and heal.

As previously established, there is a rich body of research that was conducted to understand some aspects of online social support.  While several important studies have been conducted to realize the impact of online social groups on individuals, additional research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms that underlie the impact.  In conjunction with the research on wellness, health, and social support, the future for research on internet support groups is expansive.

Implication for Future Research

As remarked, the area of future research on online social support groups is virtually endless.  Some future research will need to understand how online self help groups work to promote a sense of wellbeing among the users.  In addition, research that examines passive participation or “lurking” will be necessary to understand the phenomenon of online support groups more completely.  Consider, there is evidence to suggest that for every one active member of an online support group, there are as many as 20 people reading and watching without participating (Lieberman & Goldstein, 2009).  By conducting further research to understand the lurking experiences and processes more will be of interest to many researchers, and health care providers at minimum.  And through what process do people shift from passive to active participation?  An additional area for future research includes what role maladaptive coping plays in online social support groups.

Other future research ideas include the development of some measurement tools for online social support groups may be valuable (Blum, 2004).  Also, it would be helpful to get a better sense of what people who participate in online support groups that idealize maladaptive behaviors get as a result of their participation.  To effectively plan and implement healthy treatment programs, it is essential that people are participating in online support groups that promote wellness in a way that promotes positive change.  To get a more complete picture of racial and ethnic patterns in online support groups, where social support is the main focus, longitudinal studies with larger samples may be valuable (Fogel et al., 2003).  Finally, one area of research not explored to date is the use of Carepages, and other networking tools that are available to families of patients while at the hospital.


Author's Thoughts

This project has been a great experience.  Prior to working on this paper, I had some idea of the importance of social support and the value of face to face support groups.  However, I had not considered how commonplace online social support groups were.  There are literally thousands of online support groups that serve a wide range of purposes.  It was enlightening.  Also, I appreciated reading the literature, as generally the literature supports the use of online social support.  One of the most interesting articles I read included various technological tools, including cell phones (Vanderwerker & Prigerson, 2003).  I had not considered the impact of cell phones on the development and use of social support during stressful times.

Having seen the positive aspects of online social support networks, I was shocked that there are social support groups that idealize anorexia.  While I think free speech is important, as a parent and future professional psychologist, I was saddened to visit the sites.   One comment resonated with me and I think it typifies the nature of these sites: “i am not saying this to offend................ i have been on this site for 4 years and sometimes i miss the competitions and all the other stuff we get called bad for. i always felt better if i was in it with another girl.” (gottobekiddin, 10 October, 2009).   The struggle is undeniable.  The impact of social support is powerful.


References

Baker, J. R., Moore, S. (2008). Distress, coping, and blogging: Comparing new Myspace users by their intention to blog. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(1), 81-85. DOI: 10.1089/cpb.2007.9930

Baum, L. S. (2004). Internet parent support groups for primary caregivers of a child with special health care needs. Pediatric Nursing, 30(5), 381-401.

Bath, D. (2009). Predicting social support for grieving persons: A theory of planned behavior perspective. Death Studies, 33(10), 869-889. DOI:10.1080/07481180903251547.

Beaudoin, C. E., & Tao, C. C. (2007). Benefiting from social capital in online support groups: An empirical study of cancer patients. CyberPsychology, 10(4), 587-590. DOI: 10.1089/cpb.2007.9986

Blogs. (2009). In marketingterms.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/blog/

Campbell, A. J., Cumming, S. R., & Hughes, I. (2006). Internet use by the socially fearful: Addiction or therapy? CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(1), 69-81. DOI: 10.1089/cpb.2006.9.69

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Faststats: Death and mortality. Retrieved October 31, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm

Carnegie Mellon Cylab. (2009). Senior citizens online. Retrieved November 5, 2009 from http://www.mysecurecyberspace.com/articles/statistics-trends/senior-citizens-online.html#msc.article.statistics.seniors

Cummings, J. N., Sproull, L., & Kiesler, S. B. (2003). Beyond hearing: Where real-world and online support meet. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 6(1), 78-88. DOI: 10.1037/1089-2699.6.1.78.

Fogel, J., Albert, S. M., Schnabel, F., Ditkoff, B. A., & Neugut, A. I. (2003). Racial/ethnic differences and potential psychological benefits in use of the internet by women with breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 12(2), 107-117. DOI: 10.1002/pon.617

Folkman, S. & Lazarus, R. S. (1988). Coping as a mediator of emotions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(3), 466-475.

Gottobekiddin. (10 October 2009). Message posted to http://community.livejournal.com/proanorexia/156332203.html)

Gow, A., Pattie, A., Whiteman, M., Whalley, L., & Deary, I. (2007). Social support and successful aging: Investigating the relationships between lifetime cognitive change and life satisfaction. Journal of Individual Differences, 28(3), 103-115. DOI:10.1027/1614-0001.28.3.103.

Greenglass, E. R. (2002). Chapter 3: Proactive coping. In E. Frydenberg (Ed.), Beyond coping: Meeting goals, vision, and challenges. London: Oxford University Press, (pp. 37-62).

Greenglass, E., Fiksenbaum, L., & Eaton, J. (2006). The relationship between coping, social support, functional disability and depression in the ederly. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 19(1), 15-31. DOI: 10.1080/14659890500436430

Hardt, J. H. & Hollis-Sawyer, L.  (2007). Older adults seeking healthcare information on the internet. Educational Gerontology, 33, 561-572. DOI: 10.1080/03601270701364628.

Jiali, Y. (2006). An examination of acculturative stress, interpersonal social support, and use of online ethnic social groups among Chinese international students. Howard Journal of Communications, 17(1), 1-20. DOI: 10.1080/1646170500487764

Kernsmith, P., & Kernsmith, R. (2008). A safe place for predators: Online treatment of recovering sex offenders. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 26(2/4), 223-238. DOI:10.1080/15228830802096598

Kivinen, O., & Ristela, P. (2003). From constructivism to a pragmatist conception of learning. Oxford Review of Education, 29(3), 363. DOI:10.1080/0305498032000120300

Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V., Kiesler, S., Mukophadhyay, T., & Scherlis, W. (1998). Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American Psychologist, 53(9), 1017-1031. DOI:10.1037/0003-066X.53.9.1017

LaCoursiere, S. P. (2001). A theory of online social support. Advances in Nursing Science, 24(1), 60-77.

Leung, L. (2007). Stressful life events, motives for internet use, and social support among digital kids. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(2), 204-214. DOI: 10.1089/cpb.2006.9967.

Lieberman, M. A., & Goldstein, B. A. (2005). Self-help on-line: An outcome evaluation of breast cancer bulletin boards. Journal of Health Psychology, 10(6), 855-862. DOI: 10.1177/1359105305057319.

Marra, J., McCarthy, E., Lin, H., Ford, J., Rodis, E., & Frisman, L. (2009). Effects of social support and conflict on parenting among homeless mothers. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 79(3), 348-356. DOI:10.1037/a0017241

Miniwatts Marketing Group. (2009). Internet usage statistics: The internet big picture, world internet users and population stats. Retrieved October 31, 2009 from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

Mulveen, R., Hepworth, J. (2006). An interpretive phenomenological analysis of participation in a pro-anorexia internet site and its relationship with disordered eating. Journal of Health Psychology, 11(2), 283-296. DOI: 10.1177/1359105306061187.

Roehrle, B., & Strouse, J. (2008). Influence of social support on success of therapeutic interventions: A meta-analytic review. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 45(4), 464-476. DOI: 10.1037/a0014333

Schwerdtfeger, K., Osby-Williams, J., Hoheisel, C., Nue, B., Nelson Goff, B., Reisbig, A., et al. (2008). Individual symptoms and coping resources reported by trauma survivors and their partners: A Qualitative research study with clinical couples. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 7(3), 187-209.

Seckin, G. (2009). Internet technology in service of personal health care management: Patient perspective. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 27(2), 79-92. DOI: 10.1080/15228830902749179.

Semmer, N., Elfering, A., Jacobshagen, N., Perrot, T., Beehr, T., & Boos, N. (2008). The emotional meaning of instrumental social support. International Journal of Stress Management, 15(3), 235-251. DOI:10.1037/1072-5245.15.3.235.

Shaw, L. H. & Gant, L. W. (2002). In defence of the internet: The relationship between internet communication and depression, loneliness, self-esteem, and perceived social support. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 5(2), 157-170.

Sullivan, C. F. (2003). Gendered Cybersupport: A thematic analysis of two online cancer support groups. Journal of Health Psychology, 8(1), 83-104. DOI: 1.1177/1359105303008001446.

Vanerwerker, L. C., & Prigerson, H. G. (2003). Social support and technological connectedness as protective factors in bereavement. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 9(1), 45-57. DOI: 10.1080/15325020490255304.

Walden University. (2009). Vision, mission, and goals. Retrieved November 8, 2009 from http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=1&navoid=243

Wright, K. B. (2000). Social support satisfaction, on-line communication apprehension, and perceived life stress within computer-mediated support groups. Communication Research Reports, 17(2), 139-147.

 

Suggested Reading from Inquiries Journal

The current study discusses social support systems and the ways in which they impact persons diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study analyzes three different variables (race/ethnicity, gender, and trauma type) in a group of 200 adults diagnosed with PTSD. Three measures, the Social Support Questionnaire (... MORE»
Advertisement
Increasingly, human interactions are being communicated by means of electronic, Internet-based medias. Readily available programs and websites facilitate easy transference of messages, thus rendering space and time irrelevant. The quick, efficient manner of Internet-based medias allow for easy access to users who want to examine... MORE»
Since its introduction in the late 1800s, coupons have transformed drastically to appeal to the changing needs and behaviors of the common consumer. Although still existing, the classic paper coupon went digital with the introduction of the Internet. Now, companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial offer discount gift certificates in a "deal-of-the-day" format. This research focused on the unique features of daily deal promotions and the impact they... MORE»
The Internet is a necessity in Americans’ lives and something that many access often throughout the day. Over 80% of students use one or more social networks and more than half log in at least once a day (Peluchette, 2008). The Internet “allows people to separate their ideas from their physical presence” (Keats... MORE»
Submit to Inquiries Journal, Get a Decision in 10-Days

Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines.

Representing the work of students from hundreds of institutions around the globe, Inquiries Journal's large database of academic articles is completely free. Learn more | Blog | Submit

Follow IJ

Latest in Psychology

2022, Vol. 14 No. 06
Change blindness is the finding that people often fail to notice substantial changes between different views of a visual scene. The current study investigated the effect of mood states on people’s ability to detect changes, by comparing participants... Read Article »
2022, Vol. 14 No. 05
The prevalent school of thought states that suicidal ideation and suicide planning are not associated with living in households with firearms. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) in the years... Read Article »
2022, Vol. 14 No. 04
Marion Godman makes the argument that Pathological Withdrawal Syndrome (PWS) makes the case for psychiatric disorders as a natural kind. Godman argues that we can classify kinds according to their shared ‘grounding’, but we need not... Read Article »
2022, Vol. 14 No. 03
The study investigated stress, coping strategies, and problem-solving skills among college students. A total of 202 university students completed this study. The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the existing literature regarding stress... Read Article »
2021, Vol. 13 No. 12
Political polarization has been an increasingly salient point of discussion since the 2016 presidential campaign, the election of Donald Trump, and into today. Beyond emphasizing partisan and issue-based divides, scholars have identified emotion... Read Article »
2021, Vol. 13 No. 04
The question of what it means to be a gendered individual has been left unanswered in light of its variants. The feminist movement proceeding the Industrial Revolution propelled philosophical and literary works, such as Simone de Beauvoir’... Read Article »
2021, Vol. 13 No. 03
Positive affect (PA) is active, enthusiastic, and happy engagement in pleasurable activities and negative affect (NA) includes aversiveness, anger, and fear (Watson et al., 1988). Two studies examined linguistic affect presented as emotion words... Read Article »

What are you looking for?

FROM OUR BLOG

The Career Value of the Humanities & Liberal Arts
How to Select a Graduate Research Advisor
7 Big Differences Between College and Graduate School