Who talks? The social psychology of illness support groups.
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.
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TL;DR: The evidence suggests that while these effects are largely dependent on the particular goals that users bring to the interaction-such as self-expression, affiliation, or competition-they also interact in important ways with the unique qualities of the Internet communication situation.
Abstract: The Internet is the latest in a series of technological breakthroughs in interpersonal communication, following the telegraph, telephone, radio, and television. It combines innovative features of its predecessors, such as bridging great distances and reaching a mass audience. However, the Internet has novel features as well, most critically the relative anonymity afforded to users and the provision of group venues in which to meet others with similar interests and values. We place the Internet in its historical context, and then examine the effects of Internet use on the user's psychological well-being, the formation and maintenance of personal relationships, group memberships and social identity, the workplace, and community involvement. The evidence suggests that while these effects are largely dependent on the particular goals that users bring to the interaction—such as self-expression, affiliation, or competition—they also interact in important ways with the unique qualities of the Internet communicat...
1,269 citations
Cites background from "Who talks? The social psychology of..."
...ON-LINE SUPPORT In harmony with these conclusions, Davison et al. (2000) studied the provision and seeking of social support on-line by those with grave illnesses, and found that people used Internet support groups particularly for embarrassing, stigmatized illnesses such as AIDS and prostate…...
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...Attridge M, Berscheid E, Simpson JA....
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TL;DR: Various models of delivery are illustrated to convey opportunities provided by technology, special settings and nontraditional service providers, self-help interventions, and the media for reducing the burden of mental illness.
Abstract: Psychological interventions to treat mental health issues have developed remarkably in the past few decades. Yet this progress often neglects a central goal-namely, to reduce the burden of mental illness and related conditions. The need for psychological services is enormous, and only a small proportion of individuals in need actually receive treatment. Individual psychotherapy, the dominant model of treatment delivery, is not likely to be able to meet this need. Despite advances, mental health professionals are not likely to reduce the prevalence, incidence, and burden of mental illness without a major shift in intervention research and clinical practice. A portfolio of models of delivery will be needed. We illustrate various models of delivery to convey opportunities provided by technology, special settings and nontraditional service providers, self-help interventions, and the media. Decreasing the burden of mental illness also will depend on integrating prevention and treatment, developing assessment and a national database for monitoring mental illness and its burdens, considering contextual issues that influence delivery of treatment, and addressing potential tensions within the mental health professions. Finally, opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations are discussed as key considerations for reducing the burden of mental illness.
995 citations
TL;DR: The article defines peer support/peer provided services; discusses the underlying psychosocial processes of these services; and delineates the benefits to peer providers, individuals receiving services, and mental health service delivery system.
Abstract: The article defines peer support/peer provided services; discusses the underlying psychosocial processes of these services; and delineates the benefits to peer providers, individuals receiving services, and mental health service delivery system Based on these theoretical processes and research, the critical ingredients of peer provided services, critical characteristics of peer providers, and mental health system principles for achieving maximum benefits are discussed, along with the level of empirical evidence for establishing these elements
884 citations
Cites background from "Who talks? The social psychology of..."
...Internet support groups offer a high degree of anonymity, where confiding in others occurs without any social repercussions, given the lack of in-person contact among members ( Davison, Pennebaker & Dickerson, 2000 )....
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01 Jan 2007
880 citations
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TL;DR: The main hypothesis advanced by this model is that the psychological factors described may promote cancer development; the model is offered for investigation.
136 citations
TL;DR: It is speculated that a pessimistic style might be an important psychological risk factor--at least among older people--in the early course of certain immune-mediated diseases.
Abstract: Correlated pessimistic explanatory style--the belief that negative events are caused by internal, stable, and global factors--with lowered immunocompetence in a sample of 26 older adults. Two measures of cell-mediated immunity--T-helper cell/T-suppressor cell ratio and T-lymphocyte response to mitogen challenge--were lower in individuals with a pessimistic style, controlling for the influence of current health, depression, medication, recent weight change, sleep, and alcohol use. A relative increase in the percentage of T-suppressor cells seemed to underlie this immunosuppression. Although the mechanism by which explanatory style might influence immune function remains unknown, we speculate that a pessimistic style might be an important psychological risk factor--at least among older people--in the early course of certain immune-mediated diseases.
121 citations
TL;DR: The data indicated that breast cancer patients were more likely than a control group to report a tendency to control emotional reactions, particularly anger, and to respond to stress using a repressive coping style.
92 citations
TL;DR: Findings implicate interpersonal factors as primary incentives for help-seeking and suggest that interventions often consolidate, rather than initiate, positive changes in drinking practices.
Abstract: This study investigated variables predicting different help-seeking patterns (no treatment, AA participation only, or treatment plus AA participation) by problem drinkers who had maintained stable abstinence (n = 57). Collaterals verified subjects' help-seeking and drinking status. Help-seeking was predicted by greater alcohol-related psycho-social problems, especially in interpersonal relationships, but was not associated with heavier drinking practices or demographic characteristics. Subjects' belief that they could solve their own problem deterred help-seeking, whereas relationship problems and being unable to quit on one's own facilitated help-seeking. Additional incentives specific to AA were its privacy, anonymity, spiritual aspects, opportunities to help other problem drinkers, and the convenient meetings held at times typically spent drinking. Many subjects became abstinent before they sought help, especially from treatment programs. These findings implicate interpersonal factors as primary incentives for help-seeking and suggest that interventions often consolidate, rather than initiate, positive changes in drinking practices.
86 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the prevalence of self-help group (SHG) use using secondary analysis of three surveys, two of which were based on large household probability samples (Epidemiological...
Abstract: Relying on secondary analysis of three surveys, this study examines the prevalence of self-help group (SHG) use. Two of the surveys are based on large household probability samples (Epidemiological...
85 citations