The Role of Communication Affordances in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Facebook and WhatsApp Support Groups.

Int J Environ Res Public Health

Department of Communication Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.

Published: April 2021


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

(1) Background: Digital health research has indicated that people with stigmatized health problems are drawn to online support groups (OSGs) because these groups help them to manage such conditions. However, little is known about how media affordances-interactions between the technology and the user-reconfigure the ways in which stigmatized individuals use OSGs and interact with others like themselves. (2) Method: The current study applied an affordance framework to evaluate how Facebook and WhatsApp support groups can help military veterans and their partners cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was based on interviews with 34 PTSD-OSG members in Israel. (3) Findings: This research identified five affordances that members appraised as enhancing their coping efforts in the digital world: visibility, availability, multimediality, surveillance, and synchronicity. (4) Conclusions: This study reveals the connection between a specific stigmatized mental health disorder (i.e., PTSD) and perceptions of communication technologies (i.e., affordances), and specifies the uses of technologies for coping with this mental health disorder. Moreover, this study may inform digital intervention designers about which communication affordances can potentially lead to better health outcomes.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8123456PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094576DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

support groups
12
communication affordances
8
post-traumatic stress
8
stress disorder
8
facebook whatsapp
8
whatsapp support
8
groups help
8
disorder ptsd
8
mental health
8
health disorder
8

Similar Publications

Background: Gait impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) occurs early and pharmaceutical interventions do not fully restore this function. Visual cueing has been shown to improve gait and alleviate freezing of gait (FOG) in PD. Technological development of digital laser shoe visual cues now allows for visual cues to be used continuously when walking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study applied the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to explore the barriers and enablers to optimizing post-operative pain management and supporting safe opioid use from the perspectives of both patients and health care professionals, applying the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

Design: Experience-based co-design (EBCD) qualitative study.

Methods: In the initial phase of the EBCD approach, focus groups were conducted comprising 20 participants, including 8 patients and 12 health care professionals involved in post-operative care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biological sex, hormones, and gender uniquely affect health and disease, often resulting in disparities for women across the lifespan and from different racial and ethnic groups, geographical locations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Without intentional investment and infrastructure to support good health and wellbeing for women, half of the world's population remains vulnerable to preventable morbidity and mortality. The Society for Women's Health Research and ECHAlliance-The Global Health Connector convened a women's health program as part of the 10th Annual Science Summit during the United Nations 79th General Assembly.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A plain language summary of the MIRACLE study: benralizumab in people in Asia with severe asthma.

Immunotherapy

September 2025

aGuangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Moderate to severe acne scars pose a therapeutic challenge and often require multimodal treatments. Ablative fractional laser (AFL) and fractional microneedling radiofrequency (FMR) are commonly used, but their alternating application has not been fully studied.

Patients And Methods: In this prospective, randomized, single-blind, split-face trial, 20 patients (Fitzpatrick III-IV) received four treatments at 4-week intervals: one facial side underwent alternating FMR (sessions 1, 3) and AFL (sessions 2, 4), while the contralateral side received AFL alone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF