Online Social Support: An Effective Means of Mediating Stress

Gender Differences

There is no denying, men and women are different. And, the differences are manifested in a wide variety of ways.  There is some evidence that supports the idea that men and women use social relationships differently to cope with stress (Greenglass, 2002).  In line with traditional, face to face groups where women outnumber men 4:1, some research has indicated that more women use the internet for social support than men.  Seckin (2009) searched Google! to find “online discussion groups for cancer” and 31 active discussion groups were identified (p. 81).  Within those 31 online support groups, the researchers purposively sampled people over 18 years old with a history of cancer.  The sample revealed that approximately 75% of the participants were women.

In addition to number of people who rely on online social support, when accounting for gender, the specific nature of participant posts may differ between genders.  Sullivan (2003) examined the gender differences in online support groups. Sullivan found that in the ovarian group, the posts tended to provide emotional support through compliments, thankfulness, and positive messages of optimism and encouragement; the women tended to share personal experiences in their threads.

On the other hand, in the prostate group, the focus of men’s discussion threads was informational.  Participants posted technical information, specifically used to inform others.  Alternative treatment options were discussed, and the men seemed to adhere to a set of well established group norms; the discussions were informational and not personal in nature.  It is not yet clear why this difference exists. Dedovic et al. (2009) have posited that the gender differences in coping, utilizing social support, may be accounted for in some part because of the gender socialization process rather than some biological explanation.

Racial/Ethnic Differences

In addition to research that examined gender difference, other researchers have studied the racial and ethnic difference in online, social support and information seeking patterns (Fogel et al., 2003; Jiali, 2006).  The Fogel et al. inquiry sought to understand the racial and ethnic difference in online, information seeking patterns.  Their findings indicated that African Americans and Latino Americans felt formal support groups are helpful in that they provide motivation to continue treatments.  There was a positive effect of social support, in terms of belonging.  There was no impact on how those people felt about themselves or their lives, when the internet is used for information seeking, for the groups included in the study.

On the other hand, other researchers have found there is significant difference in the groups who rely on formal approaches to therapy, including support groups.  Jiali (2006) noted that individuals in some populations do not tend to use formalized psychological support, such as group or individual therapy, due to a fundamental difference in life experiences with regard to formal treatments. Jiali concluded that because Asians, Blacks, and Latino/Latina individuals relied on social support after acutely stressful experiences, such as the terrorist attack on September 11th, it is essential to ensure those individuals are offered social support in a variety of avenues, including social support groups, both face to face and online.  Further, it is important that informal support mechanisms are available (Jiali, 2006); online social support groups may be one valuable option.

Age

Hundred of millions of people spend time working and playing on the internet, from young children to senior citizens (Leung, 2007; Shaw & Gant, 2002).  Given that stress impacts people of all ages, and with the widespread use of the internet, understanding online social support for people of all ages is important.  As the present paper has suggested, there are a number of studies that examine online social support across all populations, including adolescents, adults, and the elderly (Leung, 2007; Greenglass, Fiksenbaum, & Eaton, 2006).

By and large, children and teens experience chronic and acute stress in their lives.  Stressors include familial relationships, peer pressure, and academic pressures (Leung, 2007).  The internet offers children and adolescents a source of entertainment, relaxation, information, social identity and the ability to develop and maintain social relationships.  Additionally, there are some children and teens, who use the internet to help alleviate stress and depression through support groups (Leung, 2007).

Despite some barriers seniors face in using the internet, including vision challenges and inexperience, in 2004, roughly 4 million senior citizens were using the internet (Carnegie Mellon Cylab, 2009).   The users are most often wealthy, well educated, married men (Hardt & Hollis-Sawyer, 2007).  An important barrier to consider in understand the trends of internet use among older individuals is the cost; many retired people are not able to afford the expenses associated with being online.

One unique aspect of online support groups is the very open and expansive nature (Cummings, Sproull, & Kiesler, 2003).  People from all over with common experiences and interests can share their experiences, problems, or solutions with others.  This is significant for some who feel alone, or stigmatized, with no or limited social support. In addition, it is particularly noteworthy with older adults, who may feel alone in their life’s journey, which may be aggravated by the nature of the lifecycle, where as older adults grow older, their social circle shrinks (Gow et al., 2007).

Outcomes

Stress is an ever present aspect of life.  A woman diagnosed with breast cancer may experience a host of emotions and changes with the diagnosis and treatment, such as depression, anxiety, fear, and weight loss or surgery.  As a result, developing a rich collection of coping mechanisms is essential.  Online social support is one resource millions of individuals rely on in dealing with chronic and/or acute stress.  Several important questions are important to understand, such as, what conclusions can be drawn concerning the outcomes in people who use online social support?  How effective are online social support groups in mediating stress?  What groups are more positively or negatively influenced by online social support groups?  What dark side may exist in online social support groups?