CATCH members, Dr
Sarah Hargreaves and Professor Peter Bath, have had a paper published in the
Journal of Internet Medical Research.
Entitled, Sharing and Empathy in
Digital Spaces: Qualitative Study of Online Health Forums for Breast Cancer and
Motor Neuron Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), the paper explores how
empathy develops and operates within two online health forums for differing
health conditions: breast cancer and motor neuron disease (MND)
Empathy is an important component of
peer-to-peer support, although little is known about how empathy develops and
operates within online health forums.
This qualitative study analyzed data
from two sources: interviews with forum users and downloaded forum posts. Data
were collected from two online health forums provided by UK charities: Breast
Cancer Care and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
The study found that empathy develops
and operates within shared experiences and connections, enabled by structural
possibilities provided by the forums giving users the opportunity and means to
interact within public, restricted, and more private spaces, as well as within
groups and in one-to-one exchanges. The findings are of particular value to
organizations hosting health forums and to health professionals signposting
patients to additional sources of support.
The full paper can be downloaded here.
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