The importance of emotional information in online health support groups to support people with type two diabetes

Almanea, Abdulaziz; Bath, Peter; Sbaffi, Laura

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/106528 Copy

Description

Title

The importance of emotional information in online health support groups to support people with type two diabetes

Author(s)

• Almanea, Abdulaziz
• Bath, Peter
• Sbaffi, Laura

Issue Date

2020-03-23

Keyword(s)

• Online health support groups
• Emotional support
• Peer support
• Health 2.0
• Medicine 2.0
• Type 2 diabetes

Abstract

People with chronic conditions face psychological, social and cultural challenges when they control and manage their condition. Online health support groups (OHSGs) play an important role in providing emotional information for people with different conditions to overcome such challenges. The aim of this study is to explore the importance of using OHSGs for emotional information for people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). This qualitative analysis of 814 threads and posts from three OHSGs examined the emotional information exchanged within OHSGs for people with T2D. The analysis showed that emotional information shared in OHSGs provided members with T2D with sympathy, encouragement love and affirmation that helped them to overcome challenges and control and manage their condition more effectively. The findings have implications for informational, social and emotional support for patients.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2020 Proceedings

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/106528

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2020 Abdulaziz Almanea, Peter Bath, and Laura Sbaffi

Owning Collections