| |
NEW STUDY EXAMINES USAGE OF ONLINE BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUPS
18 January 2006 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
| Stereotypes about who will use online support groups are wrong, according to research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The researchers found that age, income and education did not predict participation, although minorities were not as active as other users. |
The percentage of women with breast cancer participating in online support groups is significant and has been growing steadily over the past decade. This new research provides insights about the characteristics of women who are more likely to participate in these groups when barriers to computers and Internet access are removed. In the study conducted at the UW-Madison Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research, 144 women who were recently diagnosed with breast cancer were provided free computer hardware, Internet access and training in how to use an online health education and support system, which they were able to use for six months. The researchers then examined who was most likely to use the online support groups. While socioeconomic status did not generally predict participation in these groups, there were trends toward more active participants expressing more positive physical, psychological and social status than less active participants. Specifically, there were trends toward more active participants reporting higher energy levels, a more positive doctor-patient relationship, fewer concerns about breast cancer and higher perceptions of support from one's family. According to the lead author of the study, Bret Shaw, the researchers expected that that free access and training would be great equalizers in reducing differences one might expect based on age, education, or income. However, the authors were surprised by the results indicating that women with more positive appraisals of their physical, social and psychological states used the online support groups more frequently. The most novel finding, according to Shaw, was that more frequent users reported having more support from their families. In reviewing the message transcripts, the authors determined that those who are closer with their family and friends perceive they have more to lose from breast cancer, and therefore are more inclined to communicate about those feelings with others. "What women often wrote about their fears was that breast cancer might cut short their time to enjoy family and be around for important milestones as their children grow older. It appeared that the closer a woman felt to her family or larger social network, the more she feared her potential separation from them as a result of breast cancer," says Shaw.
http://www.wisc.edu
About: University of Wisconsin-Madison
In achievement and prestige, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has long been recognized as one of America’s great universities. A public, land-grant institution, UW-Madison offers a complete spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs and student activities. Many of its programs are hailed as world leaders in instruction, research and public service.The university traces its roots to a clause in the Wisconsin Constitution, which decreed that the state should have a prominent public university. In 1848, Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin’s first governor, signed the act that formally created the university, and its first class, with 17 students, met in a Madison school building on February 5, 1849. From those humble beginnings, the university has grown into a large, diverse community, with about 40,000 students enrolled each year. These students represent every state in the nation, as well as countries from around the globe, making for a truly international population. UW-Madison is the oldest and largest campus in the University of Wisconsin System, a statewide network of 13 comprehensive universities, 13 freshman-sophomore transfer colleges and an extension service. One of two doctorate-granting universities in the system, UW-Madison’s specific mission is to provide "a learning environment in which faculty, staff and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help insure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all." The university achieves these ends through innovative programs of research, teaching and public service. Throughout its history, UW-Madison has sought to bring the power of learning into the daily lives of its students through innovations such as residential learning communities and service-learning opportunities. Students also participate freely in research, which has led to life-improving inventions from more fuel-efficient engines to cutting-edge genetic therapies. Students, faculty and staff are motivated by a tradition known as the "Wisconsin Idea," described by UW President Charles Van Hise in 1904 as the compelling need to carry "the beneficent influence of the university ... to every home in the state." The Wisconsin Idea permeates the university’s work and helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students and the state’s industries and government. |
More News:
• For January 2006
• From University of Wisconsin-Madison
• For University
|
