Mills Freya, Drury John, Hall Charlotte E, Weston Dale, Symons Charles, Amlôt Richard, Carter Holly
Behavioural Science and Insights Unit, UK Health Security Agency, Salisbury, UK.
School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.
Commun Psychol. 2025 Mar 15;3(1):40. doi: 10.1038/s44271-025-00217-6.
This pre-registered systematic review aimed to examine whether online support groups affect the health and wellbeing of individuals with a chronic condition, and what mechanisms may influence such effects. In September 2024, literature searches were conducted across electronic databases (Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science and Google Scholar), pre-publication websites (MedRxiv and PsyArXiv) and grey literature websites. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included if they explored the impact of online support groups on the health and wellbeing outcomes of individuals with a chronic condition. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to appraise the quality of the included studies. In total 100 papers met the inclusion criteria with their findings presented in a thematic synthesis. Health and wellbeing outcomes were categorised as: physical health, mental health, quality of life, social wellbeing, behaviour and decision-making, and adjustment. Mechanisms reported in these studies related to exchanging support, sharing experiences, content expression, and social comparison. User and group characteristics were also explored. The included studies suggest that online support groups can have a positive impact on social wellbeing, behaviour, and adjustment, with inconclusive findings for physical health and quality of life. However, there is also the possibility of a negative effect on anxiety and distress, particularly when exposed to other group members' difficult experiences. Research comparing different online group features, such as platforms, size, and duration is needed. In particular, future research should be experimental to overcome the limitations of some of the cross-sectional designs of the included studies. The review was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Protection Research in Emergency Preparedness and Response. Pre-registration ID: CRD42023399258.
这项预先注册的系统评价旨在探讨在线支持小组是否会影响慢性病患者的健康和幸福感，以及哪些机制可能会影响此类效果。2024年9月，我们在电子数据库（Medline、Embase、PsycInfo、Web of Science和谷歌学术）、预发表网站（MedRxiv和PsyArXiv）以及灰色文献网站上进行了文献检索。如果定性和定量研究探讨了在线支持小组对慢性病患者健康和幸福感结果的影响，则将其纳入。我们使用混合方法评估工具来评估纳入研究的质量。共有100篇论文符合纳入标准，其研究结果以主题综合的形式呈现。健康和幸福感结果分为：身体健康、心理健康、生活质量、社会幸福感、行为和决策以及适应。这些研究中报告的机制与交换支持、分享经验、内容表达和社会比较有关。我们还探讨了用户和小组特征。纳入的研究表明，在线支持小组可以对社会幸福感、行为和适应产生积极影响，而对身体健康和生活质量的研究结果尚无定论。然而，也有可能对焦虑和痛苦产生负面影响，尤其是当接触到其他小组成员的困难经历时。需要开展比较不同在线小组特征（如平台、规模和持续时间）的研究。特别是，未来的研究应该采用实验性研究，以克服纳入研究中一些横断面设计的局限性。该评价由国家卫生与保健研究所卫生防护研究应急准备与响应项目资助。预注册编号：CRD42023399258。
