Dibb Bridget, Yardley Lucy
School of Health Professions and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
Chronic Illn. 2006 Sep;2(3):219-30. doi: 10.1177/17423953060020030301.
The aim of this study was to examine social comparison in illness using a mixed-methods approach that combined inductive exploration of how people used social comparison in this self-help group with a quantitative study of social comparison processes and their relationship to quality of life.
The qualitative study involved 15 semi-structured interviews with people with Ménière's disease. Themes from the analysis of the interviews informed the development of the Social Comparison in Illness Scale (SCIS), which was then validated in a questionnaire study, in which participants with Ménière's disease (n = 196) completed the SCIS, the previously validated Identification/Contrast social comparison scale, and the SF-36 health status questionnaire.
The qualitative study uncovered a wide range of forms of social comparison, including upward, downward and lateral comparison on illness and coping dimensions, as well as comparing solely for informational purposes. The quantitative study indicated that these varied directions and dimensions of social comparison could be mapped onto five reliable categories that were related to quality of life: upward positive and downward positive comparison, upward negative and downward negative comparison, and comparing for information.
These analyses highlight the complexity of socially comparing in chronic illness, but also confirm the validity of the Identification/Contrast model of social comparison in this context.
本研究旨在采用混合方法来考察疾病中的社会比较，该方法将对人们在这个自助群体中如何进行社会比较的归纳性探索与对社会比较过程及其与生活质量关系的定量研究相结合。
定性研究包括对15名梅尼埃病患者进行半结构化访谈。访谈分析得出的主题为疾病社会比较量表（SCIS）的编制提供了依据，该量表随后在一项问卷调查研究中得到验证，在该研究中，196名梅尼埃病患者完成了SCIS、先前验证过的认同/对比社会比较量表以及SF-36健康状况问卷。
定性研究发现了广泛的社会比较形式，包括在疾病和应对维度上的向上、向下和横向比较，以及仅为获取信息而进行的比较。定量研究表明，这些不同方向和维度的社会比较可以归纳为与生活质量相关的五个可靠类别：向上积极和向下积极比较、向上消极和向下消极比较以及为获取信息而进行的比较。
这些分析突出了慢性病中社会比较的复杂性，但也证实了认同/对比社会比较模型在这种情况下的有效性。
