Internet Fuels Support
Group Trend
People are no longer
hestitant to openly discuss illnesses as the Internet helps fuel the
self-help movement into a new
realm.
Online self-help groups are
making it easier for people to talk about diseases once considered
socially stigmatizing, according to a new report published in the February
issue of American Psychologist, a journal of the American
Psychological Association.
A
national team of researchers studied participation in national online
discussion groups and in-person support groups in four major metropolitan
areas: Chicago, Dallas, New York and Los Angeles. The groups were based
around 20 disease categories. Self-help support groups were highest for
diseases considered most stigmatizing, including alcoholism,
AIDS,
breast
cancer and anorexia,
and were lowest for illnesses considered less embarrassing but equally
devastating, such as heart
disease, high blood
pressure, migraines,
ulcers
and chronic
pain. Dallas showed the lowest level of support groups while Chicago
had the highest.
Alcoholism had a
low rate of self-help support online, while chronic
fatigue syndrome had a very high online prevalence. Researchers say
support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous have provided long-established
in-person support, and online or virtual support may be deemed a weak
substitute for recovering alcoholics. For persons suffering from chronic
fatigue syndrome, online support may be the best way to reach others with
this illness.
Researchers conclude
that many Americans are trying to change their health behaviors through
self-help support, whether online or in-person, rather than turning to
programs created by professionals. "Group participants," researchers say,
"may not be resistant to professional input; rather, they may need to
speak and be heard about issues not addressed within the health-care
setting."
|
