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Who talks? The social psychology of illness support groups.

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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.

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A influência da dermatite atópica na vida das crianças

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identified the influence of atopic dermatitis on the child's life and found that children with the disease develop less general daily activities than children without the pathology, as well as, have difficulty being alone, cry excessively, are more nervous, irritated, unhappy, more worried, insecure and have low self-esteem.
Journal ArticleDOI

Sample Bias in Web-Based Patient-Generated Health Data of Dutch Patients With Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: Survey Study

TL;DR: The sample bias of patient-centered social media in Dutch patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) was investigated in this article , where a survey was conducted in the Netherlands among 328 patients with GIST diagnosed 2-13 years ago to investigate their digital communication use with fellow patients.

Women and Support Groups: Successful Approaches to Facilitation

TL;DR: Support groups are quite prevalent in our country today as discussed by the authors and support groups are beneficial in that they increase survival rates, offer a safe environment for disclosure, improve participant's coping skills and emotional and psychological health, are a platform for sharing information and resources, and give women an avenue in which to help others in similar situations.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

A Theory of Social Comparison Processes

Leon Festinger
- 01 May 1954 - 
TL;DR: In this article, the authors pointed out that there is a strong functional tie between opinions and abilities in humans and that the ability evaluation of an individual can be expressed as a comparison of the performance of a particular ability with other abilities.
Book

Statistical abstract of the United States

TL;DR: The Red River of the North basin of the Philippines was considered a part of the Louisiana Purchase by the United States Department of Commerce in the 1939 Census Atlas of the United Philippines as discussed by the authors.
Book

The theory and practice of group psychotherapy

TL;DR: Yalom as mentioned in this paper described the course of therapy from both the patient's and the therapist's viewpoint in Encounter Groups: First Facts (1973) and Every Day gets a Little Closer: A Twice-Told Therapy (1974).
Journal ArticleDOI

Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being?

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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