Influence of health beliefs and stigma on choosing internet support groups over formal mental health services

Psychiatric Services : a Journal of the American Psychiatric Association
Lisa TownsendOlga Polyanskaya

Abstract

As the Internet has become a ubiquitous tool for health information, the use of Internet support groups for mental health concerns has grown. Despite the widespread use of these groups, little research has examined the efficacy and effectiveness of online communities for ameliorating mental health symptoms or factors that prompt people to seek online support rather than formal treatment. Our study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating Internet support group use as an alternative to formal mental health services. Logistic regression was conducted with data from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine relationships among treatment beliefs, practical variables such as time and affordability, stigma, and use of Internet support groups among 2,532 survey participants who reported a need for mental health treatment but were not receiving formal services. Four significant predictors of Internet support group use emerged: fear of being hospitalized or taking medication (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=8.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]=4.25-18.27), inadequate insurance coverage (AOR=3.22, CI=1.44-7.20), age 26-34 years (AOR=.22, CI=.07-.69), and age 35 or older (AOR=.21, CI=.08-.56). Fear of coercio...Continue Reading

Citations

Feb 25, 2015·Informatics for Health & Social Care·Jörg DirmaierLisa Tlach
Sep 8, 2015·Journal of Affective Disorders·Diego Hidalgo-MazzeiFrancesc Colom
Mar 10, 2015·Journal of Holistic Nursing : Official Journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association·Nasrin Falsafi, Louisa Leopard
Apr 5, 2014·Health Informatics Journal·Borja Martínez-PérezJoel J P C Rodrigues
Sep 12, 2017·Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services·Chia-Ling Lynn HoLaramie D Taylor
Oct 26, 2018·Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA·Y Alicia Hong, Jinmyoung Cho
Nov 7, 2019·Informatics for Health & Social Care·Katriina AnttilaMaritta Välimäki
Jun 12, 2020·Journal of Medical Internet Research·Eileen WehmannSarah Liebherz
Jan 28, 2017·World Psychiatry : Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)·Matthias C AngermeyerGeorg Schomerus
Jan 8, 2014·Harvard Review of Psychiatry·Robin E GearingLars Osterberg
Nov 28, 2020·Journal of Medical Internet Research·Hannah YaoFusheng Wang
Sep 10, 2021·Research Involvement and Engagement·Mareike DreierSarah Liebherz

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