Support matching and satisfaction in an online breast cancer support community

Research suggests that online health support benefits chronically ill users. Their satisfaction might be an indicator that they perceive group interactions as beneficial and a precursor to group commitment. We examined whether receiving emotional and informational support is satisfying in its own right, or whether satisfaction depends on matches between what users sought and what they received. Two studies collected judgments in a breast cancer support community of support users sought, support they received, and their expressed satisfaction. While receiving emotional or informational support in general positively predicted satisfaction, users expressed less satisfaction when they sought informational support but received emotional support. There was also a tendency for users to express more satisfaction when they sought and received informational support. On the other hand, users were equally satisfied with emotional and informational support after seeking emotional support. Implications for membership commitment and interventions in online support groups are discussed.

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