Shaw B R, McTavish F, Hawkins R, Gustafson D H, Pingree S
School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
J Health Commun. 2000 Apr-Jun;5(2):135-59. doi: 10.1080/108107300406866.
Using an existential-phenomenological approach, this paper describes how women with breast cancer experience the giving and receiving of social support in a computer-mediated context. Women viewed their experiences with the computer-mediated support group as an additional and unique source of support in facing their illness. Anonymity within the support group fostered equalized participation and allowed women to communicate in ways that would have been more difficult in a face-to-face context. The asynchronous communication was a frustration to some participants, but some indicated that the format allowed for more thoughtful interaction. Motivations for seeking social support appeared to be a dynamic process, with a consistent progression from a position of receiving support to that of giving support. The primary benefits women received from participation in the group were communicating with other people who shared similar problems and helping others, which allowed them to change their focus from a preoccupation with their own sickness to thinking of others. Consistent with past research is the finding that women in this study expressed that social support is a multidimensional phenomenon and that their computer-mediated support group provided abundant emotional support, encouragement, and informational support. Excerpts from the phenomenological interviews are used to review and highlight key theoretical concepts from the research literatures on computer-mediated communication, social support, and the psychosocial needs of women with breast cancer.
本文采用存在主义现象学方法，描述了乳腺癌女性在计算机介导的环境中体验社会支持的给予和接受过程。女性将她们在计算机介导的支持小组中的经历视为面对疾病时额外且独特的支持来源。支持小组中的匿名性促进了平等参与，并使女性能够以在面对面环境中更难做到的方式进行交流。异步交流让一些参与者感到沮丧，但也有一些人表示这种形式允许进行更深入的思考互动。寻求社会支持的动机似乎是一个动态过程，存在从接受支持到给予支持的持续转变。女性从参与小组中获得的主要益处是与有相似问题的其他人交流并帮助他人，这使她们能够将关注点从自身疾病的困扰转移到关心他人上。与过去的研究一致的是，本研究中的女性表示社会支持是一个多维度现象，她们的计算机介导支持小组提供了丰富的情感支持、鼓励和信息支持。现象学访谈的节选用于回顾和突出计算机介导沟通、社会支持以及乳腺癌女性心理社会需求等研究文献中的关键理论概念。
