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Journal ArticleDOI

Who talks? The social psychology of illness support groups.

01 Jan 2000-American Psychologist (American Psychological Association)-Vol. 55, Iss: 2, pp 205-217
TL;DR: 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.
Citations
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DOI
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of a support group for fathers of children with autism, using quantitative measures to examine participants' psychological experiences, was evaluated using a 2X2 mixed model analysis of variance with Group as the betweensubjects factor and Time as the within-subjects factor.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate the impact of a support group for fathers of children with autism, using quantitative measures to examine participants’ psychological experiences. Twelve fathers of children with autism participated in the study, which employed a two-group pretest-posttest design and a measure of social validity. The two groups were comprised of six fathers each, who attended eight weekly 2-hour sessions that focused on various topics related to parenting a child with autism. Sample topics included fathers’ experiences with the diagnosis, dealing with the education system, the impact on personal and professional relationships of parenting a child with autism, and future hopes and fears. All participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), the Parenting Stress Index 4 th Edition, the Life Orientation TestRevised, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, a demographic form, and a social validity questionnaire regarding participation in the group. Group 1 completed the formal test measures prior to the start of their group, upon completion, and 4 months later. Group 2 completed these measures prior to the start of their own group, and upon completion. Data were analyzed using a 2X2 mixed model analysis of variance with Group as the betweensubjects factor and Time as the within-subjects factor. Results indicated no significant main effects for either Group or Time between baseline and post-treatment for any of the measures. However, there was a significant interaction effect for marital adjustment via the DAS, and follow-up independent sample t-tests showed a significant improvement for Group 2 only. For Group 1, paired samples t-tests indicated no change in scores between posttreatment and follow-up on any measure. Responses to the social validity measure indicated that all fathers found the groups to be meaningful and helpful, enjoyed listening to and

6 citations


Cites background from "Who talks? The social psychology of..."

  • ...Drawing clear distinctions between these overlapping groups has been described as “not only difficult, but impractical” and points to “the difficulty of categorical boundaries and the problematic nature of research in real-world social patterns” (Davison et al., 2000, p. 204)....

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03 Mar 2006
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of pedagogical strategies designed to increase culturally responsive education and critical consciousness in an undergraduate social work class at a small, Christian, liberal arts college was examined.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to implement and examine the impact of pedagogical strategies designed to increase culturally responsive education and critical consciousness in an undergraduate social work class at a small, Christian, liberal arts college. The study participants were nine students enrolled in an undergraduate class focused on group development and learning skills for working with groups in social work practice. The study critically examines culture and spirituality as a worldview and draws on perspectives of culture and spirituality from adult education and social work education through the theoretical lens of poststructural feminist thought, intersectionality theory, and the discourses of critical multiculturalism and antiracist education. The framework for the study attends to positionality, power relations, and systems of privilege in the context of teaching and learning. A critical action research design was used to systematically look at knowledge production by introducing change and observing the effects. The main data collection methods were focus groups, reflective journals, and online asynchronous discussions. The findings from the study are presented in the context of the planning, acting, observing, and reflecting stages of the action research cycle and address three major themes. First, participants moved beyond Christianity as the only valid spirituality, to understanding the spirituality of others and themselves as influenced by culture. Second, they indicated new learning about cultural competence for social work practice by connecting spirituality with culture, and understanding the effects of culture and White privilege in their own and other’s real life experiences. Third, participants found the culturally responsive educational experience extremely positive because it foregrounded

6 citations

Proceedings ArticleDOI
27 Jun 2019
TL;DR: In this article, the authors applied a fully automated data analysis method based on clustering and network embedding of the largest online support forum (POZ forum) for people living with HIV.
Abstract: Analysis of social support in online forums for people living with HIV has been relying, for the most part, on self-report instrumentation and manual coding of data. Our study applies a fully automated data analysis method based on clustering and network embedding of the largest online support forum (POZ forum)for people living with HIV. Results show that there are three sub communities of members within the forum differing in terms of member engagement, topics discussed, and types of support exchanged. This paper analyses the similarities and differences among these communities as a way to identify members that comprise each community and how they exchange support. The result can be generalized to show current situation of HIV discussion online and how social supports change in different group of people related to HIV. Therefore, better social support plans can be applied to help HIV patients relief their pain.

6 citations


Cites methods from "Who talks? The social psychology of..."

  • ...We have chosen to analyze an online HIV support forum as people living with a stigmatized condition or trait are more likely to look for help in such platform [6]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence indicates that OT interventions can improve the quality of life and treatment adherence in patients with diabetes and hence should be continued and built on to address the increasing needs of diabetic populations.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus is becoming a global health concern due to its prevalence and projected growth. Despite a growing number of interventions for secondary prevention of diabetes, there is a persistent poor glycemic control and poor adherence to the prescribed diabetes management regimen. In light of the tremendous costs of diabetes to both individuals and the society, it is pressing to find effective ways to improve diabetes self-management (DSM) and treatment adherence. Occupational therapists can bring values to the diabetes care team by evaluating multiple levels of influence on DSM, addressing personal and environmental barriers to well-being and DSM, and supporting patients to develop of a highly complex competences and skills to satisfactorily self-manage diabetes. This article summarizes two evidence-based, well-structured occupational therapy (OT) programs that use activity-based treatments and psychosocial strategies, respectively, to improve DSM abilities and to enhance quality of life. As the needs of adolescents with diabetes are quite different from other diabetic populations, this article also provides a summary of pediatric OT interventions that aim to facilitate autonomy and development of DSM ability among adolescents with diabetes. Evidence indicates that OT interventions can improve the quality of life and treatment adherence in patients with diabetes and hence should be continued and built on to address the increasing needs of diabetic populations.

5 citations

Dissertation
01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: The findings provide important insights that could enable health care professionals to develop more of an emphasis on including disclosure as an issue when talking to patients about managing type 1 diabetes and epilepsy and this is also relevant to a broad spectrum of long-term conditions.
Abstract: A high and increasing proportion of people in the United Kingdom are living with a long-term condition (DH, 2005a). The National Health Service is facing the challenge of increased pressure on its service provision. Government Policy has placed emphasis on supporting individuals to self-care (Department of Health, 2005a, c). However, there are specific challenges associated with living with a long-term condition, and in particular the psychosocial aspects of illness when set alongside a clinical approach to care (Gabe et al, 2004, Bury et al, 2005) It has been argued that disclosure of illness may in itself be a self-care strategy (Munir et al, 2005). However, to date individuals‟ experiences of disclosure of long-term conditions are neither clearly defined nor its role in managing a long-term condition fully understood. The aims of the study were to explore the role of disclosure in the management of a long-term health condition. The study drew on constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) undertaking thirty-five in-depth qualitative interviews (fifteen people living with epilepsy, and twenty people living with type 1 diabetes) recruited from patient support groups and clinical nurse specialist‟s clinics. This study identified that strategies of disclosure are not necessarily fixed but may be subject to change over time. “Learning about disclosure” is an integral part of living with a long-term condition. Three key disclosure roles were identified: (1) access to self-care and social support, (2) non-disclosure (concealment) of the condition to protect one‟s identity from stigma. (3) redressing myths about the condition in advance: to avoid perceived stigma. The findings provide important insights that could enable health care professionals to develop more of an emphasis on including disclosure as an issue when talking to patients about managing type 1 diabetes and epilepsy and this is also relevant to a broad spectrum of long-term conditions.

5 citations


Cites background from "Who talks? The social psychology of..."

  • ...Studies which have investigated the link between social support and long-term conditions, suggest it is beneficial to have people with whom you can converse (Davison et al, 2000, Wang et al, 2005, Magliano et al, 2006)....

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  • ...For example, several studies have argued that having access to social support is beneficial to one‟s health (Davison et al, 2000, Wang et al, 2005, Magliano et al, 2006)....

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  • ...For example, the support group “Alcoholics Anonymous”, recommended that an important route to recovery is through the shared experiences of others with the same condition (Davison et al, 2000)....

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  • ...Davison et al (2000) argue that individuals make sense of their condition through talking to others such as friends and family or clinicians....

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References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
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.
Abstract: Hypothesis I: There exists, in the human organism, a drive to evaluate his opinions and his abilities. While opinions and abilities may, at first glance, seem to be quite different things, there is a close functional tie between them. They act together in the manner in which they affect behavior. A person’s cognition (his opinions and beliefs) about the situation in which he exists and his appraisals of what he is capable of doing (his evaluation of his abilities) will together have bearing on his behavior. The holding of incorrect opinions and/or inaccurate appraisals of one’s abilities can be punishing or even fatal in many situations. It is necessary, before we proceed, to clarify the distinction between opinions and evaluations of abilities since at first glance it may seem that one’s evaluation of one’s own ability is an opinion about it. Abilities are of course manifested only through performance which is assumed to depend upon the particular ability. The clarity of the manifestation or performance can vary from instances where there is no clear ordering criterion of the ability to instances where the performance which reflects the ability can be clearly ordered. In the former case, the evaluation of the ability does function like other opinions which are not directly testable in “objective reality’. For example, a person’s evaluation of his ability to write poetry will depend to a large extent on the opinions which others have of his ability to write poetry. In cases where the criterion is unambiguous and can be clearly ordered, this furnishes an objective reality for the evaluation of one’s ability so that it depends less on the opinions of other persons and depends more on actual comparison of one’s performance with the performance of others. Thus, if a person evaluates his running ability, he will do so by comparing his time to run some distance with the times that other persons have taken. In the following pages, when we talk about evaluating an ability, we shall mean specifically the evaluation of that ability in situations where the performance is unambiguous and is known. Most situations in real life will, of course, present situations which are a mixture of opinion and ability evaluation. In a previous article (7) the author posited the existence of a drive to determine whether or not one’s opinions were “correct”. We are here stating that this same drive also produces behavior in people oriented toward obtaining an accurate appraisal of their abilities. The behavioral implication of the existence of such a drive is that we would expect to observe behaviour on the part of persons which enables them to ascertain whether or not their opinions are correct and also behavior which enables them accurately to evaluate their abilities. It is consequently

16,927 citations

Book
01 Jan 1878
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.
Abstract: 1 Includes drainage basin of Red River of the North, not a part of any accession, but in the past sometimes considered a part of the Louisiana Purchase. i Includes Baker, Canton, Enderbury, Rowland, Jarvis, Johnston, and Midway Islands; and also certain other outlying islands (21 square miles). 3 Commonwealth of the Philippines, Commission of the Census; 1939 Census, Census Atlas of the Philippines. Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

10,650 citations

Book
01 Jan 1970
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).
Abstract: This book first appeared in 1970 and has gone into two further editions, one in 1975 and this one in 1985. Yalom is also the author of Existential Psychotherapy (1980), In-patient Group Psychotherapy (1983), the co-author with Lieberman of Encounter Groups: First Facts (1973) and with Elkin of Every Day Gets a Little Closer: A Twice-Told Therapy (1974) (which recounts the course of therapy from the patient's and the therapist's viewpoint). The present book is the central work of the set and seems to me the most substantial. It is also one of the most readable of his works because of its straightforward style and the liberal use of clinical examples.

4,235 citations


"Who talks? The social psychology of..." refers background in this paper

  • ...In a similar vein, Yalom (1995) has asserted that self-help groups offer a unique venue for growth, social experimentation, and change....

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Journal ArticleDOI
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.
Abstract: The Internet could change the lives of average citizens as much as did the telephone in the early part of the 20th century and television in the 1950s and 1960s. Researchers and social critics are debating whether the Internet is improving or harming participation in community life and social relationships. This research examined the social and psychological impact of the Internet on 169 people in 73 households during their first 1 to 2 years on-line. We used longitudinal data to examine the effects of the Internet on social involvement and psychological well-being. In this sample, the Internet was used extensively for communication. Nonetheless, 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. These findings have implications for research, for public policy and for the design of technology.

4,091 citations