HELPING YOU TO HELP ME: EXPLORING SUPPORTIVE INTERACTION IN ONLINE HEALTH COMMUNITY

ASIST 2010 | Pittsburgh, PA | October 24, 2010

Katherine Y. Chuang katychuang@drexel.eduChristopher C. Yang ccy24@drexel.eduDrexel 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 katychuang@drexel.edu

Christopher C. Yang ccy24@drexel.eduhttp://www.slideshare.net/katychuang/helping-you-to-help-me