Mutual help goes on-line

✍ Scribed by Deborah A. Salem; G. Anne Bogat; Christina Reid

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 147 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0090-4392
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6629(199703)25:2<189::aid-jcop7>3.0.co;2-t

✦ Synopsis

This study investigated an on-line mutual-help group for persons suffering from depression. Postings from two randomly chosen weeks were content coded (N ϭ 1,863 postings; 533 participants; 273 males, 173 females) based on concepts salient to face-to-face mutual-help groups. Participants in the on-line group communicated in ways characteristic of face-to-face groups (e.g., high levels of support, acceptance, and positive feelings); however, they engaged in more emotional support and self-disclosure. Unexpectedly, the group was more highly used by men than by women. In addition, the content of men's posts were virtually identical to those of women's. On-line mutual help may provide a unique form of support for persons who are not as likely to use traditional forms of helping.