Journal ArticleDOI
Who talks? The social psychology of illness support groups.
TLDR
Support seeking was highest for diseases viewed as stigmatizing and was lowest for less embarrassing but equally devastating disorders, such as heart disease, and implications for social comparison theory and its applications in health care are discussed.Abstract:
More Americans try to change their health behaviors through self-help than through all other forms of professionally designed programs. Mutual support groups, involving little or no cost to participants, have a powerful effect on mental and physical health, yet little is known about patterns of support group participation in health care. What kinds of illness experiences prompt patients to seek each other's company? In an effort to observe social comparison processes with real-world relevance, support group participation was measured for 20 disease categories in 4 metropolitan areas (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas) and on 2 on-line forums. Support seeking was highest for diseases viewed as stigmatizing (e.g., AIDS, alcoholism, breast and prostate cancer) and was lowest for less embarrassing but equally devastating disorders, such as heart disease. The authors discuss implications for social comparison theory and its applications in health care.read more
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Group-Based Psychotherapy for Military Veterans with Multiple Sclerosis
TL;DR: A program of group-based psychosocial services offered to patients with multiple sclerosis at a Veteran's Health Administration facility and four groups are developed.
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Antecedents and Consequences of Self-Disclosure in Subjective Well-Being: A Facebook Case With a Social Support Mediator
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors investigate antecedents and consequences of self-disclosure in subjective well-being with social support as a mediator, and they find that people who are prepared to share more information on Facebook may develop deeper bonding with their dear ones.
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Virtual Online Communities as Powerful Secondary Groups in Multiple Social Contexts
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the functioning of virtual online groups and examine potentially influential factors for the workings of groups of various types, regardless of the domain, virtual or face-to-face, and generate similar result.
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Utilization of Electronic Media to Obtain Social Support Among Older Men who have Sex with Men and Associated Support Outcomes
Daniel I. Rzewnicki,James E. Egan,Robert W. S. Coulter,Andrea M. Weinstein,César G. Escobar-Viera,Sabina A. Haberlen,Michael Plankey,Steven Shoptaw,M. Reuel Friedman +8 more
TL;DR: The findings of this study suggest that one in four older HIV-positive MSM may face barriers to obtaining social support in person, and that interventions to increase in-person support may be warranted.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
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Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being?
Robert E. Kraut,Michael Patterson,Vicki Lundmark,Sara Kiesler,Tridas Mukophadhyay,William L. Scherlis +5 more
TL;DR: Greater use of the Internet was associated with declines in participants' communication with family members in the household, declines in the size of their social circle, and increases in their depression and loneliness.
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