Helping you to help me (slides)
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Transcript of Helping you to help me (slides)
HELPING YOU TO HELP ME: EXPLORING SUPPORTIVE INTERACTION IN ONLINE HEALTH COMMUNITY
ASIST 2010 | Pittsburgh, PA | October 24, 2010
Katherine Y. Chuang [email protected] C. Yang [email protected] University Department of Information Science and Technology
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Online Health Social Networking
“e-patients are looking for ‘just-in-time someone-like-me” health information”
- Boase et al, 2006; Fox & Jones, 2009
*E-patient: internet user that is looking for health information
“e-patients are looking for a sense of community”
-Wright & Bell, 2003
41%read patient blog,health newsgroup, or health website
39%used social
networking site
12%shared updates or viewed updates
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Introduction
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“Positive comments are observed between MySpace friends” -Thelwall & Wilkinson, 2010
Social Networking Site Features
“Friending enables users to form and maintain connections”
- Ahn et al, 2007 “Private and public messaging allow for interpersonal communication”
- Thellwall & WIlkinson, 2010
“SNS users expect to gratify their social-emotional needs”- Rau et al, 2008
Introduction
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Motivation for Study• What are the different levels of social support across
different CMC formats?
• Multiple CMC formats each has different audience and usage• Forum for asking questions• Journals for recording experiences• Notes for keeping in touch
Introduction
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Medhelp.org
“connects people with the leading medical
experts and others who have similar experiences”
“helping patients find answers to their questions”
“helping patients actively manage their health”
•Founded in 1994•Oldest online community•Pioneer of online health communities
•10 mil monthly visitors
Introduction
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Profile Page•Forum: Public Q&A•Journals: Diary Style•Notes: Profile Posts
Notes
Forum
Journal
Introduction
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The Study
Researc
h Question
•What are the different levels of social support across different CMC formats?
Objectiv
e
•Study the patterns of social support exchanges of 3 CMC formats:•For
ums, Journals, Notes
Approac
h
•Descriptive Content Analysis•Co
ding: social support types for each message
Introduction
Social Support Types
Information: expressions that can directly help the situation
Advice suggests actions to deal with situation
Fact reassesses the situation and presents facts.
Personal experience
stories about person’s experiences or incidents as a way of presenting information.
Opinion a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge
Referral refers the recipient to a resource
Nurturant: expressions that focus on comfort of recipient
Esteem positive comments intended to praise support seekers abilities or to alleviate their feelings of guilt.
Network messages to help support seeker from feeling alone.
Emotional providing understanding of situation, express sorrow, provide with hope and confidence.
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Methods: Coding
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Message types:
-No support
-Information
-Nurturant
-Both support
Medhelp Alcoholism Community
Forums (n = 493)• [FP] 81 posts• [FC] 412 comments
Journals (n = 423)• [JP] 88 posts• [JC] 335 comments
Notes (n = 1180)
Methods: Data
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Support Offered
(n=1180) Notes
(n=335) JC
(n=88) JP
(n=412) FC
(n=81) FP
84.9%
82.1%
73.9%
67.0%
16.0%
57.5%
51.9%
92.0%
85.2%
82.7%
Informational NurturantInformational > Nurturant
Informational < Nurturant
Divided btwn Posts & Comments
Results
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Support Requested
(n=1180) Notes
(n=335) JC
(n=88) JP
(n=412) FC
(n=81) FP
1.4%
4.2%
36.4%
6.3%
44.4%
20.0%
8.4%
13.6%
15.5%
72.8%
Informational NurturantInformational > Nurturant
Divided btwn posts & comments
Informational > Nurturant
Results
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Key Findings
Forums• Used for exchanging information• Replies are more likely to request
information but offer nurturant support.
Journals• Used by journal keeper to document
information and feelings• Posts implicitly request nurturant support. • Replies offer nurturant support.
Notes• Used for keeping in touch, offering
nurturant support• Seeks information, mostly of the form
“how are you?”
Results
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Part 2: Information Support in Forum
Fact
Personal
Opinion
Advice
Referral
0.0%
12.4%
0.5%
1.9%
1.7%
4.9%
48.1%
1.2%
27.2%
16.0%
Requested
FP (n = 81) FC (n=412)
Fact
Personal
Opinion
Advice
Referral
4.9%
64.8%
18.7%
32.5%
13.6%
0.0%
74.1%
33.3%
0.0%
0.0%
Offered
FP (n = 81) FC (n = 412)
Results
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Key Findings
Forums• Used for exchanging information• Replies are more likely to request
information but offer nurturant support.
Journals• Used by journal keeper to document
information and feelings• Posts implicitly request nurturant support. • Replies offer nurturant support.
Notes• Used for keeping in touch, offering
nurturant support• Seeks information, mostly of the form
“how are you?”
Results
Information
Nurturant
Explaining difference…..
• Public vs Personal Space
• Support Seeking Strategy
• Maintaining Relationships
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Public vs. Personal Space
Public Space = less intimate
Discussion Forum
Private Space = more intimate
Journals & Notes
Discussion
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Support Seeking Strategy• Disclose personal experience (info) to get support
• Must be able to describe their problem • Gain a sympathetic ear • increases experience of intimacy
• Self-therapy• Specific person instead of group
Discussion
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Maintaining Relationships• Periodic, short interactions to keep in touch
Discussion
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Insights• Supportive interactions will vary depending on space and
strength of relationship• Forum = informational support > emotional support. • Journal & notes = emotional support > informational support.
• Implications For Alcoholics: • Anonymity + Accessibility = Less Stigma• Peer communication can play a role in facilitating new health
habits, i.e, quitting smoking (Ancker et al, 2009).
Discussion
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Limitations• Data limited to those publicly available• Further work
• Intercoder Reliability• Social Network Analysis (positional analysis)• Compare to generic SNS (i.e. Facebook)• Order of support exchanges
• i.e. is support offered as result of a specific request?
• Other variables• i.e. gender, culture, intimacy, audience, age, and stigma• Stage of information seeking process or phase of overcoming
alcoholism
Discussion
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THANK YOU!Katherine Y. Chuang [email protected]
Christopher C. Yang [email protected]://www.slideshare.net/katychuang/helping-you-to-help-me