Online support groups for mental health: A space for challenging self-stigma or a means of social avoidance?

Lawlor, Aideen; Kirakowski, Jurek

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2013.11.015

Cited by 85 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Other studies advocated a negative effect on disclosure from an overreliance on forums, but this was not suggested in our findings [44,45]. However, it may be worth investigating whether there are forums that maintain or generate stigma, for example, through providing negative experiences with health care providers, such as a forum for birth trauma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Use of Online Forums for Perinatal Mental Illness, Stigma, and Disclosure: An Exploratory Model

Moore¹,

Drey²,

Ayers³

2017

JMIR Ment Health

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BackgroundPerinatal mental illness is a global health concern; however, many women with the illness do not get the treatment they need to recover. Interventions that reduce the stigma around perinatal mental illness have the potential to enable women to disclose their symptoms to health care providers and consequently access treatment. There are many online forums for perinatal mental illness and thousands of women use them. Preliminary research suggests that online forums may promote help-seeking behavior, potentially because they have a role in challenging stigma. This study draws from these findings and theoretical concepts to present a model of forum use, stigma, and disclosure.ObjectiveThis study tested a model that measured the mediating role of stigma between online forum use and disclosure of affective symptoms to health care providers.MethodsA Web-based survey of 200 women who were pregnant or had a child younger than 5 years and considered themselves to be experiencing psychological distress was conducted. Women were recruited through social media and questions measured forum usage, perinatal mental illness stigma, disclosure to health care providers, depression and anxiety symptoms, barriers to disclosure, and demographic information.ResultsThere was a significant positive indirect effect of length of forum use on disclosure of symptoms through internal stigma, b=0.40, bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) 95% CI 0.13-0.85. Long-term forum users reported higher levels of internal stigma, and higher internal stigma was associated with disclosure of symptoms to health care providers when controlling for symptoms of depression and anxiety.ConclusionsInternal stigma mediates the relationship between length of forum use and disclosure to health care providers. Findings suggest that forums have the potential to enable women to recognize and reveal their internal stigma, which may in turn lead to greater disclosure of symptoms to health care providers. Clinicians could refer clients to trustworthy and moderated online forums that facilitate expression of perinatal mental illness stigma and promote disclosure to health care providers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Use of Online Forums for Perinatal Mental Illness, Stigma, and Disclosure: An Exploratory Model

Moore¹,

Drey²,

Ayers³

2017

JMIR Ment Health

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“…Unlike previous studies, some possible risks to women have been highlighted. It may be important for women in this sample to recognise times when reading forums can be of benefit and times when it can be detrimental rather than issues with overuse (Lawlor, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, some research suggests that women may overcame stigma by posting on forums and this in turn leads to disclosure to healthcare professionals (KantrowitzGordon, 2013, Moore, Ayers & Drey, in press). Sometimes forums may provide misinformation or enable social avoidance (Chung, 2013;Lawlor & Kirakowski, 2014). This study aimed to explore women's experiences of social support and stigma and possible disadvantages when utilising a forum for postnatal affective disorders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual voices: social support and stigma in postnatal mental illness Internet forums

Moore

Ayers

2016

Psychology, Health & Medicine

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This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractMany women with postnatal mental illness do not get the treatment they need and this is often because stigma prevents disclosure. The purpose of this study was to explore online social support for postnatal mental illness, how women experience stigma and potential disadvantages of using Internet forums. Interviews were conducted with fifteen participants who had suffered postnatal mental illness and had used forums. Systematic thematic analysis identified common themes in relation to social support, stigma and disadvantages of using forums. Most women felt they benefited from visiting forums by developing a shared understanding and discourse about their illness. Findings suggest future research should investigate if women benefit from using online social support provided by forums, if use challenges stigma and further explore potential concerns about using forums.

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“…Griffiths et al, 2012;Morris, Schueller, & Picard, 2015). Such studies present mixed findings regarding the utility of OF, with Lawlor & Kirakowski (2014) highlighting the detrimental effects of overdependency, and Takahashi et al (2009) reporting ease of use as a benefit for users.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Cognitive Theories of Depression in Online Peer Support Forums: Exploring the Cognitive Triad

Pierce

Hoelterhoff

2017

Journal of European Psychology Students

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This paper explores peer communication in an online support forum for depression, through displays of Beck's cognitive triad. Theoretical semantic thematic analysis of the textual conversations of forum users generated preliminary information on the internet as a platform for the manifestation of depressive symptoms. The study consisted of a two-phase approach. Phase one looked for demonstration of the cognitive triad in user conversations. Phase two analysed how users depicted and responded to peer cognitive distortions, and will form a separate publication. Findings suggest that the cognitive triad is evident in the online textual communication of peer support group members. The practical applications and limitations of the research are discussed in terms of recommendations for future work.

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Online support groups for mental health: A space for challenging self-stigma or a means of social avoidance?

Cited by 85 publications

References 71 publications

Use of Online Forums for Perinatal Mental Illness, Stigma, and Disclosure: An Exploratory Model

Use of Online Forums for Perinatal Mental Illness, Stigma, and Disclosure: An Exploratory Model

Virtual voices: social support and stigma in postnatal mental illness Internet forums

Cognitive Theories of Depression in Online Peer Support Forums: Exploring the Cognitive Triad

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