Malik Sumaira, Coulson Neil S
University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Gastroenterol Nurs. 2011 Nov-Dec;34(6):439-48. doi: 10.1097/SGA.0b013e318237a9ba.
The Internet has provided new opportunities for young people with inflammatory bowel disease to access diverse information and support, and communicate with fellow sufferers through the means of online patient support groups. The study presented in this article is the first to examine communication processes in an online support group for young people with inflammatory bowel disease. The purpose of the study was to examine the frequency and use of self-help mechanisms in communication within the online group. Content analysis was performed on a sample of 1,505 messages posted to the online support group. Results revealed that similar to face-to-face support groups, the online group offered patients the opportunity to utilize a variety of self-help mechanisms. Specifically, the group seemed to provide a unique avenue through which participants could connect with other young people suffering from inflammatory bowel disease and share personal experiences and information related to their condition. These findings suggest that online support groups may provide a novel and beneficial medium through which young people with inflammatory bowel disease can fulfill their support needs, and those involved in their care, such as nurses, may play an important role in discussing the advantages or disadvantages of this increasingly popular form of support. Further research is needed to examine the psychosocial effects of accessing such groups.
互联网为患有炎症性肠病的年轻人提供了新的机会，使他们能够获取各种信息和支持，并通过在线患者支持小组的方式与其他患者交流。本文所呈现的研究是首次对炎症性肠病青年在线支持小组中的交流过程进行考察。该研究的目的是探究在线小组交流中自助机制的使用频率和情况。对在线支持小组发布的1505条信息样本进行了内容分析。结果显示，与面对面支持小组类似，在线小组为患者提供了利用多种自助机制的机会。具体而言，该小组似乎提供了一条独特的途径，参与者可以通过这条途径与其他患有炎症性肠病的年轻人建立联系，分享与自身病情相关的个人经历和信息。这些发现表明，在线支持小组可能为患有炎症性肠病的年轻人满足其支持需求提供一种新颖且有益的媒介，而参与他们护理工作的人员，如护士，在讨论这种日益流行的支持形式的优缺点方面可能发挥重要作用。需要进一步研究来考察加入此类小组的心理社会影响。
