Oprescu Florin, Campo Shelly, Lowe John, Andsager Julie, Morcuende Jose A
University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD , Australia.
Iowa Orthop J. 2013;33:142-8.
Serious health conditions, such as clubfoot, could be a major source of uncertainty and stress for parents of children affected. How parents deal with uncertainty and stress as related to their child's health condition is of interest for medical professionals and health communicators alike. While physicians remain a preferred source of health information, during medical encounters or via phone and email communication, many individuals seek out health information on the Internet, including in online support communities. This study explored the connections between Uncertainty Management Theory (UMT) constructs and the potential contribution of the sense of virtual community (SOVC) to the UMT framework. The results of this research suggest that the UMT needs to be adapted for use in online contexts. One way is to include theoretical constructs, such as the sense of virtual community, specifically developed to measure online interactions. A modified and updated Uncertainty Management Theory could be useful in exploring, analyzing and understanding online behaviors related to health conditions such as clubfoot and thus contribute substantially to what we know about caregivers in their role as uncertainty managers.
严重的健康状况，如马蹄内翻足，可能是受影响儿童家长不确定性和压力的主要来源。家长如何应对与孩子健康状况相关的不确定性和压力，这对医学专业人员和健康传播者来说都很感兴趣。虽然医生仍然是健康信息的首选来源，无论是在医疗问诊期间还是通过电话和电子邮件交流，但许多人会在互联网上，包括在线支持社区中寻找健康信息。本研究探讨了不确定性管理理论（UMT）的构成要素与虚拟社区感（SOVC）对UMT框架的潜在贡献之间的联系。这项研究的结果表明，UMT需要进行调整以适用于在线环境。一种方法是纳入专门为衡量在线互动而开发的理论构成要素，如虚拟社区感。经过修改和更新的不确定性管理理论可能有助于探索、分析和理解与马蹄内翻足等健康状况相关的在线行为，从而极大地增进我们对作为不确定性管理者的照顾者的了解。
