Fostering empowerment in online support groups
Fostering empowerment in online support groups
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DOI：
10.1016/j.chb.2008.02.004
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发表时间：
2008-09-01
影响因子：
9.9
通讯作者：
Suler, John
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Barak, Azy;Boniel-Nissim, Meyran;Suler, John
15年来，在线支持小组在许多痛苦的领域得到了广泛的应用。研究人员提出了相互矛盾的发现和观点，说明它们在帮助人们应对各自问题方面的有效性。我们对定量研究的回顾和对这些群体中发生的经历的性质的定性探索表明，有几个因素对参与者有潜在的影响。在这些群体中发挥核心作用的个人动力和人际动力，被强大的网络去抑制效应诱导和加速。这些因素，包括写作的影响，情绪的表达，收集信息，从而提高理解和知识，发展社会关系，提高决策技能和随之而来的行为行为，都可能成为痛苦中的人的个人赋权感的产生者。这种观点或许可以解释，为什么实证研究经常发现，参与在线支持小组很少或没有具体结果；然而，它已经发现这种干预手段对非特异性个人影响的支持。因此，我们认为，在线支持小组的目的是培养幸福感、控制感、自信、更独立的感觉、社会互动和改善的感觉——所有这些都是非特定的，但非常重要的心理因素。因此，参加在线支持小组可以培养个人能力，这在处理特定的痛苦情况时非常需要。尽管如此，这种参与也有潜在的代价，特别是发展依赖性，远离面对面的接触，暴露在网络空间社交活动中典型的不愉快经历中。(C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd版权所有。
Online support groups have been used extensively, in numerous areas of distress, for 15 years. Researchers have presented conflicting findings and ideas about their effectiveness in helping people cope with respective problems. Our review of quantitative studies and our qualitative exploration of the nature of the experiences that occur in such groups show that several factors operate to potentially affect participants. Personal and interpersonal dynamics, which are central in producing effects in these groups, are induced and accelerated by the powerful online disinhibition effect. These factors, including the very impact of writing, expressions of emotions, collecting information and thereby improving understanding and knowledge, developing social relationships, and enhancing decision-making skills and consequent behavioral actions all serve as possible generators of a sense of personal empowerment for people in distress. This view may explain why empirical research has frequently found little or no specific outcomes from participating in online support groups; however, it has found much support for nonspecific personal impacts of this means of intervention. Thus, we contend that online support groups are designed to foster, and many of them actually do, well-being, a sense of control, self-confidence, feelings of more independence, social interactions, and improved feelings-all nonspecific but highly important psychological factors. As such, participating in an online support group could foster personal empowerment, which is much needed in handling specific conditions of distress. Nonetheless, this participation has potential costs, too, especially developing dependence, distancing from in-person contacts, and exposure to unpleasant experiences typical of social engagement in cyberspace. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.