Social and psychological determinants of participation in internet-based cancer support groups

Høybye, Mette Terp; Dalton, Susanne Oksbjerg; Christensen, Jane; Ross, Lone; Kuhn, Katrin Gaardbo; Johansen, Christoffer

doi:10.1007/s00520-009-0683-6

Cited by 48 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…Thus, the amount of information that may be retrieved or the amount of interaction that may be expected could have a large predictive value regarding use of an ISG. Gender distribution was almost equal in our study, with no significant differences between men and women with regard to the use of the ISG, which is in line with previous findings [19,30,31]. However, significantly more women were active users, contributing by uploading posts.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Others find that socioeconomic status, comprising education and employment status, predicts ISG use [1,19,27,28]. However, corresponding to our findings, lack of such predictors was also found in a recent study published from the UK that included 863 depressed and anxious participants [29].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Thus, within this study, sociodemographics cannot be proposed as an important barrier, but the degree of contribution seems to be gender dependent and may be related to mental health. A greater number of participants accessed the ISG in our study than in other studies evaluating a wider use of ISGs and in participants with other diagnosis [19,29]. There may be several reasons for this high degree of participation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Studies do, however, indicate that not all patients participate equally in ISGs, pointing to yet another and quite substantial challenge. In line with studies on social inequalities in the use of web-information [18], studies find that not all groups of patients are prone to use an ISG; younger patients with higher education and higher income are more frequent users than patients who are older and in the lower socioeconomic groups [1,19]. This inequality is further emphasized because access to the Internet differs between socioeconomic groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

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Lumbar Spine Fusion Patients’ Use of an Internet Support Group: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

Strøm¹,

Høybye²,

Laursen³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Background: Use of the Internet within a healthcare context offers possibilities, not only to provide information, but also to establish support online. Internet Support Groups (ISGs) are often used by patients with cancer or depression, offering potentials and advantages not provided by face-to-face support. Use of an ISG could be beneficial in patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion (LSF), accommodating isolation after surgery, providing a sense of social life, and contributing to the overall health-related quality of life providing peer support. However, research indicates that LSF patients are often not Internet users, as they often belong to the low-income group, have low education, and are of older age. However, knowledge of LSF patients' use of ISG is limited. Objective: This study describes and analyses the use of an ISG in Danish patients undergoing instrumented LSF due to degenerative spine disorders. Method: A prospective, randomized controlled trial of 114 patients, half of whom were randomized to receive access to an ISG and half to a control group with no access. This study is a prospective cohort where the population comprised those patients randomized to access the ISG (n=57). Sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, employment status, and level of education) and information on psychological wellbeing (symptom of anxiety and depression) were obtained at baseline, 1-5 weeks prior to surgery, and the use of the ISG was registered from baseline until 3 months after surgery. Results: Eight participants were excluded. Thus, 49 participants comprised the study population, with a mean age of 53 years (range 29-77), 57% female, 84% not living alone, 70% unemployed, and the majority (69%) had secondary education as their highest education. Approximately one-third of the participants had symptoms of depression (33%), and one-third had symptoms of anxiety (31%), half of these overlapped, having both anxiety and depression. A total of 43 of the 49 participants (88%) took the opportunity to access the ISG. We found no correlations between sociodemographic data and the degree to which participants accessed the ISG. Women were more prone to be active users (P=0.04) and more often contributed with posts to the ISG. Finally, participants who were active users and contributed with posts or comments had more interactions (P<0.001) and pageviews (P<0.001). Conclusions: Sociodemographic characteristics were not predictors of ISG use in this study.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

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Lumbar Spine Fusion Patients’ Use of an Internet Support Group: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

Strøm¹,

Høybye²,

Laursen³

et al. 2018

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…What limited research on this topic exists reveals some of the social and psychological characteristics of cancer patients who choose to join online self-help groups (Hobye et al, 2010). Individuals taking part in a cancer rehabilitation course were invited to participate in an online self-help group.…”

Section: Attraction and Attritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-Related Support and Self-help Mutual Aid Groups

Gottlieb

Stroud

2015

International Encyclopedia of the Social &Amp; Behavioral Sciences

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Internet‐based program for coping with cancer: a randomized controlled trial with hematologic cancer patients

et al. 2012

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Social and psychological determinants of participation in internet-based cancer support groups

Abstract: This study adds to the discussion on social inequality in internet use by cancer patients, showing that patients who are not inclined to use internet-based interventions are characterized by social position and employ more passive coping strategies.

Cited by 48 publications

References 28 publications

Lumbar Spine Fusion Patients’ Use of an Internet Support Group: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

Lumbar Spine Fusion Patients’ Use of an Internet Support Group: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

Health-Related Support and Self-help Mutual Aid Groups

Internet‐based program for coping with cancer: a randomized controlled trial with hematologic cancer patients

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