Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
School of Communication, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.
Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2024 May;27(5):328-335. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2023.0539. Epub 2024 Mar 25.
Individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder (SAD) are increasingly turning to online support communities for self-disclosure and social support. Despite the extensive body of research on online mental health discourses, the cultural nuances within SAD-related discussions remain underexplored. In this study, we examine the cultural differences in online expression of social anxiety by analyzing individuals' self-disclosure and support-seeking behaviors in social media posts. Using two-week data ( = 1,681) from two SAD support communities on the Reddit and Douban groups, we used both qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative semantic analysis to discern prevalent themes and linguistic attributes characterizing these online expressions. Our findings not only uncover common themes such as sharing personal experiences and seeking mutual validations in both communities but also identify their divergences, as Western users primarily sought advice and information in posts, whereas Chinese users were more inclined toward networking. Cultural variations in language use were evident, particularly in individuals' affect and their expression of personal and social concerns. Western users were more likely to convey negative emotions and delve into personal matters related to SAD, whereas Chinese users tended to grapple more with workplace anxieties. This study contributes to the cultural understanding of online mental health discourses and offers insights for crafting culturally sensitive interventions and supports for people with SAD.
患有社交焦虑症（SAD）的个体越来越多地转向在线支持社区寻求自我表露和社会支持。尽管有大量关于在线心理健康话语的研究，但 SAD 相关讨论中的文化细微差别仍未得到充分探索。在这项研究中，我们通过分析社交媒体帖子中个体的自我表露和寻求支持的行为，来研究在线表达社交焦虑的文化差异。我们使用了 Reddit 和豆瓣两个 SAD 支持社区的两周数据（n=1681），采用定性主题分析和定量语义分析来辨别这些在线表达的普遍主题和语言特征。我们的研究结果不仅揭示了两个社区中普遍存在的主题，如分享个人经历和寻求相互认可，还发现了它们的差异，因为西方用户在帖子中主要寻求建议和信息，而中国用户则更倾向于建立人际关系。语言使用中的文化差异很明显，特别是在个体的情感和他们对个人和社会问题的表达上。西方用户更有可能表达负面情绪，并深入探讨与 SAD 相关的个人问题，而中国用户则更倾向于处理职场焦虑。这项研究有助于深入了解在线心理健康话语的文化内涵，并为针对 SAD 患者制定文化敏感的干预和支持措施提供了启示。
