Malik Sumaira H, Coulson Neil S
Institute of Work, Health & Organisations, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Patient Educ Couns. 2008 Oct;73(1):105-13. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2008.05.024. Epub 2008 Jul 18.
Over recent years the Internet has become an increasingly popular source of support and information for infertility, with a growing number of online support groups now available to individuals affected by fertility problems. The aims of the present study were therefore to explore the online experiences of individuals accessing infertility support groups via the Internet.
Ninety-five participants who were recruited from several online infertility support groups completed an online questionnaire containing a series of open-ended questions. Responses to the open-ended questions were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
The thematic analysis revealed five recurrent themes, which were labelled: 'unique features of online social support', 'improved relationship with partner', 'reduced sense of isolation', 'information and empowerment', and 'negative aspects of online communities.'
This study suggests that the majority of participants considered there to be a range of important benefits from accessing online communities. However the results also demonstrate that there are a number of disadvantages to online infertility support groups that may have an impact on the experiences of infertile individuals.
Online support groups may provide a valuable forum through which health care professionals can better understand and support the psychosocial needs of individuals experiencing infertility.
近年来，互联网已成为不孕症患者获取支持和信息的日益流行的来源，现在有越来越多的在线支持小组可供受生育问题影响的个人使用。因此，本研究的目的是探讨通过互联网访问不孕症支持小组的个人的在线体验。
从几个在线不孕症支持小组招募的95名参与者完成了一份包含一系列开放式问题的在线问卷。使用归纳主题分析法对开放式问题的回答进行分析。
主题分析揭示了五个反复出现的主题，分别标记为：“在线社会支持的独特特征”、“与伴侣关系的改善”、“孤独感的减轻”、“信息与赋权”以及“在线社区的负面方面”。
本研究表明，大多数参与者认为访问在线社区有一系列重要益处。然而，结果也表明，在线不孕症支持小组存在一些缺点，可能会影响不孕个体的体验。
在线支持小组可能提供一个有价值的论坛，通过这个论坛，医疗保健专业人员可以更好地理解和支持经历不孕症的个人的心理社会需求。
