Effectiveness of Electronic Support Groups for Breast Cancer
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: The study explores the feasibility and effectiveness of online support groups for women with breast cancer. Although there has been an explosive growth in Internet-based health interventions, such growth is not matched by empirical research. Our goal is to answer: 1) what conditions or structure of online support groups enhance their productive functioning? 2) How effective are online support groups? 3) What "therapeutic" processes are characteristic of online support groups?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 An ongoing study comparing group therapy for breast cancer patients to community support groups (The Wellness Community and The Cancer Support Community) provides the context enabling our exploratory study. The Stanford study compares the treatments on the effectiveness in reducing depression, pain, increased survival, access to resources for treating and coping with breast cancer, and lengthening time to recurrence. As a national organization that provides a no-cost service from 17 centers, the adoption of online support groups is high. It is a free program of psychological and emotional support for cancer patients serving about 4500 persons weekly. The online support groups will utilize a closed, professionally moderated and synchronized (chat room) format that as closely as possible mirrors The Wellness Community face-to-face groups.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We test a salient and practical question, the answer to which could increase support availability, especially in rural areas or towns, small cities, and for those who are homebound. online support groups are a cost effective mode for providing help for a variety of health problems. Their rapid spread has not met even the rudimentary test of evidence-based medicine. The proposed study is a beginning in that direction.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Five 12-14 member Breast Cancer groups in online support groups will be studied. The length of time for groups is 1 year (maximum). We will be experimenting with several variations of group formats:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. Anonymous group, first names
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Personal group pictures and brief biographical sketches on the web
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Same as group 2 plus weekly shared diaries
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4-5. Groups 4 and 5 will be structured based on preliminary information developed in the previous trials. All groups will have e mail access to one another and the Leaders, as well as Internet sites for cancer information.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Our measures of effectiveness assessed at 0, 4 and 8 months are: 1. Self-Efficacy 2. Cancer Behavior Inventory 3.Cancer-Related Trauma Symptoms 4. Social Support 5. The Profile of Mood States 6. Pain-Rating, retention and amount and frequency or participation and frequency of outside group contact via E mail.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The mediating variables include: 1. Emotional Control 2. Cancer-Related Coping 3. Other help getting activities.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Our process measures are: 1. Group Ratings of Feelings of Support Group Ratings 2. Group Meetings Questionnaire 3. Group Experience Inventory 4. Cancer Support Group Topic Coding 5. Group Norms.