Balkhi Amanda M, Reid Adam M, McNamara Joseph P H, Geffken Gary R
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
Pediatr Diabetes. 2014 Sep;15(6):408-15. doi: 10.1111/pedi.12110. Epub 2013 Dec 25.
Online forums for chronic health conditions emerged as early as 30 yr ago and interest in their study has blossomed. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) forums have grown exponentially since 2005. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation of these forums is needed. This study assesses the demographics and motivations of parents who use type 1 diabetes forums and the potential impact that forum membership (FM) has on parenting stress and hypoglycemic fear. One hundred and two parents were recruited through online T1D forums and asked to complete qualitative and quantitative measures of their experience with the T1D forums. Results of this study suggest that parents who use T1D forums mirror those who participate in clinic-based research protocols and are primarily motivated to participate in forums to increase their diabetes knowledge and gain social support. Indeed, parents who use T1D forums report high levels of trust, social support, and perceived knowledge gained. However, FM was positively related to increased self-reported parenting stress frequency and hypoglycemic fear behaviors. Taken together, the relationships formed within these communities may have a significant impact on the experience of these caregivers. The need for future research and potential implications for physicians, including parent debriefing, are discussed.
针对慢性健康状况的在线论坛早在30年前就已出现，并且对其研究的兴趣也日益浓厚。自2005年以来，1型糖尿病（T1D）论坛呈指数级增长。因此，需要对这些论坛进行全面评估。本研究评估了使用1型糖尿病论坛的家长的人口统计学特征和动机，以及论坛成员身份（FM）对育儿压力和低血糖恐惧的潜在影响。通过在线T1D论坛招募了102名家长，并要求他们完成关于其在T1D论坛经历的定性和定量测量。本研究结果表明，使用T1D论坛的家长与参与基于诊所的研究方案的家长情况相似，他们参与论坛的主要动机是增加糖尿病知识并获得社会支持。确实，使用T1D论坛的家长报告称信任度高、获得了社会支持并感觉学到了知识。然而，FM与自我报告的育儿压力频率增加和低血糖恐惧行为呈正相关。综上所述，这些社区内形成的关系可能会对这些照顾者的经历产生重大影响。本文讨论了未来研究的必要性以及对医生的潜在影响，包括对家长的汇报。
