Information seeking as social support in informal relationships -Structures, functions, processes, and effects of health-related proxy seeking

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Health information seeking in various media has increased in recentyears (i.e. already before the COVID-19 pandemic). A large proportionof this health-related information seeking is not limited to the health ofthe seeking person, but it related to the health of others. However, sofar results on the prevalence, demographics, and health-relatedcorrelates of this proxy seeking mainly stem from secondary analysis,which are concentrated on the seekers and their characteristics.Thus, analysis about structures, functions, and transmissionprocesses of this popular media use behavior are missing, esp. thoseagainst the background of the relationship between the proxy seekerand the person concerned (i.e. the one whose health is the reason forinformation seeking). In addition, it is unclear, which effects andcommunication roles are associated with proxy seeking. Theoreticalfoundations for this are the concepts of social support as well as thetwo-step-flow (as an approach for health-related information transferand opinion leading). In the three years of our project, we will analyzethese points with qualitative and quantitative social network methods.Firstly, a quantitative ego-centered network analysis (n = 1, 500) willprovide answers about the structure and function of the proxy seekingfrom the perspective of the seeker. Then, subsequent qualitativedyadic interviews (n = 90) will deepen insights about the functions andthe sequence within the exchange process of proxy seeking. Inaddition, potential effects for seekers as well as the concerned personwill be explored. Afterwards a quantitative survey (n = 1, 000)examines this more systematically. In a final integrated mixed-methodanalysis of quantitative and qualitative data typical roles of proxyseeking as well as frequent patterns of exchange processes, will beidentified. Results add to an improved understanding of informationand advice needs of proxy seekers (mostly family members) andtherefore help to inform the design of health information andinformation processes in health care. Because family members andfriends are among the most important sources of health informationand key persons for disease treatment this offers a special potentialfor the health of the population. Apart from health communication,these research questions are also relevant for other areas ofcommunication studies. As questions of information seeking,recommendation, and exchange in informal relations are alsoincreasingly relevant in the context of opinion leaders in politics,technology, and consumer research, they are examined with socialnetwork analysis (SNA) to pay more attention to the relevance of thesocial circumstances of information seeking and social ties ofinformation seekers.