Depression as a global challenge and online communities as an alternative venue to develop patients-led supportive network

Sayaka Sugimoto*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Peer-led online communities have shown a strong potential to foster resourceful environments for people living with depression without restrictions of time, space, and stigma. However, due to the scarcity of research, many aspects of depression online support groups remain inconclusive. To contribute to filing some of the knowledge gap, an exploratory study was conducted to explore how online communities designed for people with depression contribute to the everyday lives of depression patients. A sample of 980 posts was selected systematically from a selected online community and demographic and clinical information of the users who made those posts were recorded. The results of the quantitative and qualitative content analyses of those data indicate that the online community can service as a place to exchange various types of informational, emotional, and coaching support with users of diverse backgrounds.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSpringer Proceedings in Complexity
PublisherSpringer
Pages173-180
Number of pages8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameSpringer Proceedings in Complexity
ISSN (Print)2213-8684
ISSN (Electronic)2213-8692

Keywords

  • Depressive symptom
  • Formal treatment
  • Informational support
  • Major depressive disorder
  • Online community

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Mathematics
  • Modelling and Simulation
  • Computer Science Applications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Depression as a global challenge and online communities as an alternative venue to develop patients-led supportive network'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this