Do online support groups influence the well-being of patients with diabetes?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2019.mar.09

Keywords:

Diabetes, Online forums, Media effects, Social influence, Emotional well-being, Self-esteem, Social support, Motivation.

Abstract

Diabetes is one of the most challenging long-term diseases (LTD) nowadays. Diabetes is associated with dietary restrictions, medical treatments and a strict life style, and has important emotional implications. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of participating in online support groups (OSG) and participants´ emotional well-being, social support, self-esteem and motivation. An online survey was disseminated in online forums about diabetes, in Spanish (N = 344). Results show that participating in OSGs has a significant influence on the four variables analyzed. However, the direction of this influence depends on participants´ type of diabetes. Participating in OSG is associated with an increase in self-reported social support and motivation for type 2 patients with diabetes, while it is associated with a decrease of both variables for type 1 patients. No differences were observed for emotional well-being and self-esteem. These results have direct implications for both people with type 1 and 2 diabetes and medical professionals in managing online communications more effectively.

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Author Biographies

Noelia Herrero, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Noelia Herrero graduated with honors in digital marketing from the Pompeu Fabra University, has completed the Master's in search engines from the same university and has studies in human nutrition and dietetics. Her research focuses on digital communication in the health area. She has been a professor in several universities, courses and congresses. Advisor in digital strategy for companies.

Lluí­s Mas-Manchón, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Lluí­s Mas is Lecturer at the Department of Communication of Pompeu Fabra University. He has a PhD in Audiovisual Communication and Advertising with honors from the Universitat Autí²noma de Barcelona. His main research interests are branding, digital media, political communication, advertising, and physicophysiological measures. He recently gained a scholarship to be a visiting scholar in Texas Tech University.  Lluí­s Mas is the coordinator of CAS research group (UPF).

Frederic Guerrero-Solé, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Frederic Guerrero-Solé has a bachelor´s in Physics from the University of Barcelona (UB) and a PhD in Public Communication obtained at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). He has been teaching at the Faculty of Communication at the UPF since 2008, where he is a lecturer in Sociology of Communication. He is a member of the research group Audiovisual Communication Research Unit (Unica).

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Published

2019-03-08

How to Cite

Herrero, N., Mas-Manchón, L., & Guerrero-Solé, F. (2019). Do online support groups influence the well-being of patients with diabetes?. Profesional De La información, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2019.mar.09

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 2 (2019): Información y comunicación biomédica

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Research articles

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