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Online Social Support Groups/Communities: Implications of Theoretical and Empirical Findings for Individuals Coping With Health Concerns

Online Social Support Groups/Communities: Implications of Theoretical and Empirical Findings for Individuals Coping With Health Concerns

Liza Ngenye, Kevin Wright
Copyright: © 2018 |Pages: 27
ISBN13: 9781522537168|ISBN10: 1522537163|EISBN13: 9781522537175
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-3716-8.ch001
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MLA

Ngenye, Liza, and Kevin Wright. "Online Social Support Groups/Communities: Implications of Theoretical and Empirical Findings for Individuals Coping With Health Concerns." Global Perspectives on Health Communication in the Age of Social Media, edited by Seif Sekalala and Brandon C. Niezgoda, IGI Global, 2018, pp. 1-27. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3716-8.ch001

APA

Ngenye, L. & Wright, K. (2018). Online Social Support Groups/Communities: Implications of Theoretical and Empirical Findings for Individuals Coping With Health Concerns. In S. Sekalala & B. Niezgoda (Eds.), Global Perspectives on Health Communication in the Age of Social Media (pp. 1-27). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3716-8.ch001

Chicago

Ngenye, Liza, and Kevin Wright. "Online Social Support Groups/Communities: Implications of Theoretical and Empirical Findings for Individuals Coping With Health Concerns." In Global Perspectives on Health Communication in the Age of Social Media, edited by Seif Sekalala and Brandon C. Niezgoda, 1-27. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3716-8.ch001

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Abstract

Numerous studies over the past two decades suggest that people with a variety of health concerns are increasingly turning to online networks for social support. This has led to the rise of online support groups/communities for people facing health concerns. Researchers have found that these groups/communities provide patients, disease survivors, and caregivers a number of advantages and disadvantages in terms of mobilizing social support for their health-related concerns. This chapter will examine these issues in greater detail as well as the theoretical and practical implications of this body of research for patients who use online support communities to help cope with and manage a variety of health issues. It will provide an overview of online social support and health outcomes, discuss key processes and theoretical explanations for the efficacy of online support communities for people facing health concerns, and the limitations of this body of research as well as an agenda for future communication research on health-related online support groups/communities.

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