Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
J Psychosoc Oncol. 2011;29(5):573-91. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2011.599361.
How do women who seek psychosocial support on the Internet by participating in cancer peer support groups respond to the process of coping with cancer? The current study examines whether older women with cancer have different perceptions about and are influenced to a different extent by online peer support than younger women. The study also explores age-based variations in outlook on coping with cancer as a result of using online support. Separate multivariate regression models estimated the effects of covariates on (1) positive coping affect (PCA) (2) positive coping affect-hopeful (PCA-H), and (3) positive coping affect-proud (PCA-P). A stratified analysis examined variations within age-based subsamples (≥51 and ≤50). Positive coping affect includes feeling proud about coping with cancer from a position of strength and empowerment rather than being a victim and being hopeful for a healthier future postdiagnosis. Online support was found to increase PCA significantly. This finding is consistent across age groups but was more pronounced for older patients. The only exception is that younger women perceive more benefit from using online support in terms of feeling proud. As severity of the symptoms increased, though the younger women increased the amount of time they were online, the older women increased the number of groups they participated in. The study concludes that the Internet might be particularly helpful for older adults who feel helpless to cope with cancer in old age. Online peer support services may help improve the patients' outlook on fighting with cancer and help them to feel more in control of their health.
女性通过参与癌症同伴支持小组在互联网上寻求社会心理支持，她们如何应对应对癌症的过程？本研究考察了老年癌症患者是否对在线同伴支持的看法不同，并且受到的影响程度与年轻女性不同。本研究还探讨了由于使用在线支持，在应对癌症方面因年龄而产生的不同看法。单独的多元回归模型估计了协变量对（1）积极应对影响（PCA）（2）积极应对影响-希望（PCA-H）和（3）积极应对影响-自豪（PCA-P）的影响。分层分析考察了基于年龄的子样本（≥51 岁和≤50 岁）内的变化。积极应对影响包括从力量和赋权的角度感到自豪地应对癌症，而不是成为受害者，并对诊断后更健康的未来充满希望。研究发现，在线支持显著增加了 PCA。这一发现在不同年龄组中是一致的，但在老年患者中更为明显。唯一的例外是年轻女性在感到自豪方面从使用在线支持中获得了更多的好处。尽管年轻女性随着症状严重程度的增加而增加在线时间，但随着症状的严重程度增加，老年女性参加的小组数量却有所增加。研究得出结论，互联网对那些在老年时感到无助应对癌症的老年人可能特别有帮助。在线同伴支持服务可能有助于改善患者与癌症作斗争的前景，并帮助他们更好地控制自己的健康。
