Internet use and social Support in women with breast cancer

Many Web sites offer information to breast cancer patients, who are increasingly using these sites. The authors investigated the potential psychological benefits of Internet use for medical information by breast cancer patients. Of the 251 women approached, 188 were successfully interviewed (74.9%). Forty-two percent used the Internet for medical information related to breast health issues and did so for an average of 0.80 hr per week. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List and the UCLA Loneliness Scale, with results controlled for covariates, showed that Internet use for breast health issues was associated with greater social support and less loneliness than Internet use for other purposes or nonuse. Breast cancer patients may obtain these psychological benefits with only a minimal weekly time commitment.

[1]  K. Mickelson.  Seeking social support: Parents in electronic support groups , 1997 .

[2]  T. Kamarck,et al.  A global measure of perceived stress. , 1983, Journal of health and social behavior.

[3]  E. Rogers,et al.  Diffusion of Innovations , 1964 .

[4]  Jacob Cohen,et al.  A power primer. , 1992, Psychological bulletin.

[5]  J. Morahan-Martin,et al.  Incidence and correlates of pathological Internet use among college students ? ? Portions of this pa , 2000 .

[6]  Second Edition,et al.  Statistical Package for the Social Sciences , 1970 .

[7]  D H Gustafson,et al.  Access to health information and support: a public highway or a private road? , 1998, JAMA.

[8]  T. Field,et al.  The relationship of Internet use to depression and social isolation among adolescents. , 2000, Adolescence.

[9]  J. Fernsler,et al.  Evaluation of a computer-based cancer support network. , 1997, Cancer practice.

[10]  Katelyn Y. A. McKenna,et al.  Plan 9 From Cyberspace: The Implications of the Internet for Personality and Social Psychology , 2000 .

[11]  D. Russell.  UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): reliability, validity, and factor structure. , 1996, Journal of personality assessment.

[12]  L. Radloff.  The CES-D Scale , 1977 .

[13]  N. Nie,et al.  Internet and society: a preliminary report , 2001 .

[14]  S. Dickerson,et al.  Therapeutic connection: help seeking on the Internet for persons with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. , 2000, Heart & lung : the journal of critical care.

[15]  A I Neugut,et al.  Quality of health information on the Internet. , 2001, JAMA.

[16]  C. Carver.  You want to measure coping but your protocol’ too long: Consider the brief cope , 1997, International journal of behavioral medicine.

[17]  Robert E. Kraut,et al.  Internet paradox. A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? , 1998, The American psychologist.

[18]  J. Fernsler,et al.  Young widows' experience with an Internet self-help group. , 2000, Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services.

[19]  K. Wright.  Computer-Mediated Social Support, Older Adults, and Coping. , 2000 .

[20]  P. Klemm,et al.  Gender differences on Internet cancer support groups. , 1999, Computers in nursing.

[21]  Malcolm R. Parks,et al.  Making Friends in Cyberspace , 1996, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[22]  J. Finn,et al.  An exploration of helping processes in an online self-help group focusing on issues of disability. , 1999, Health & social work.

[23]  Edgar Erdfelder,et al.  GPOWER: A general power analysis program , 1996 .

[24]  B. F. Sharf.  Communicating breast cancer on-line: support and empowerment on the Internet. , 1997, Women & health.

[25]  S. Kiesler.  Culture of the Internet , 1997 .

[26]  White Mh,et al.  Online support for caregivers. Analysis of an Internet Alzheimer mailgroup. , 2000 .

[27]  E. Clipp,et al.  Surfing the Net in Later Life: A Review of the Literature and Pilot Study of Computer Use and Quality of Life , 1999 .

[28]  Sheldon Cohen,et al.  Positive Events and Social Supports as Buffers of Life Change Stress , 1983 .

[29]  Marilynn Larkin,et al.  Online support groups gaining credibility , 2000, The Lancet.

[30]  Pamela F. Wendt,et al.  Silver surfers: Training and evaluating internet use among older adult learners , 1999 .

[31]  L. Strycker,et al.  Awareness and barriers to use of cancer support and information resources by HMO patients with breast, prostate, or colon cancer: patient and provider perspectives , 2001, Psycho-oncology.