Predictors of the Change in the Expression of Emotional Support within an Online Breast Cancer Support Group: A Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVES: To explore how the expression of emotional support in an online breast cancer support group changes over time, and what factors predict this pattern of change. METHODS: We conducted growth curve modeling with data collected from 192 participants in an online breast cancer support group within the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) during a 24-week intervention period. RESULTS: Individual expression of emotional support tends to increase over time for the first 12 weeks of the intervention, but then decrease slightly with time after that. In addition, we found that age, living situation, comfort level with computer and the Internet, coping strategies were important factors in predicting the changing pattern of expressing emotional support. CONCLUSIONS: Expressing emotional support changed in a quadratic trajectory, with a range of factors predicting the changing pattern of expression. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: These results can provide important information for e-health researchers and physicians in determining the benefits individuals can gain from participation in should CMSS groups as the purpose of cancer treatment

Expression and Reception: An Analytic Method for Assessing Message Production and Consumption in CMC

This article presents an innovative methodology to study computer-mediated communication (CMC), which allows analysis of the multi-layered effects of online expression and reception. The methodology is demonstrated by combining the following three data sets collected from a widely tested eHealth system, the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS): (1) a flexible and precise computer-aided content analysis; (2) a record of individual message posting and reading; and (3) longitudinal survey data. Further, this article discusses how the resulting data can be applied to online social network analysis and demonstrates how to construct two distinct types of online social networks—open and targeted communication networks—for different types of content embedded in social networks

Media in the game of politics: effects of strategic metacoverage on political cynicism

This study examines the effects of generic strategy news, self-referential press news, and "spin" spotlighting publicity coverage on political cynicism, against the backdrop of governance and policy. Drawing on data from two experiments allowing for replication within a single study, the authors demonstrate that exposure to both generic and publicity strategy news aroused political cynicism relative to issue-based news. In addition, the authors found positive interactions between political knowledge and strategic press and publicity news exposure, showing that more knowledgeable individuals were more strongly affected by these frames. The findings are discussed in the light of extant knowledge about framing effects and the media's increasing use of metareporting

Turning Toward or Away from God: Religious Coping Strategies Activated in Times of Crises

This study, which consists of two phases, explores the relationships between religion and coping with stress within the framework of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. Both pastors and congregational members (n = 855) were surveyed about their perceptions of the role of religion in managing and coping with stress. A focus group involving five members of the clergy was implemented to conduct phase II of the research. This thesis examines how church relationships (i.e. with God, the pastor, and among congregational members) affect our abilities to function through stressful times. For phase I, a modified RCOPE survey (Pargament, Smith, Koenig, & Perez, 1998) was used to measure positive and negative patterns of religious coping methods. Positive strategies, identified as turning to God, during critical events and negative strategies were identified as turning away from God during times of crises. The positive patterns consisted of religious forgiveness, seeking spiritual support, collaborative religious coping, spiritual connection, religious purification, and benevolent religious reassessment. The negative patterns were defined by spiritual discontent, punishing God reassessments, interpersonal religious discontent, demonic reassessment, and reassessment of God\u27s power. Results of the study revealed that individuals who have experienced some type of religious conversion and ministers made more use of the positive rather than the negative religious coping strategies. However, converts and ministers utilized both positive and negative religious coping strategies—e.g., Talking to God, Support, Punishment, and Expectancy Violation

Turning Toward or Away from God: Religious Coping Strategies Activated in Times of Crises

This study, which consists of two phases, explores the relationships between religion and coping with stress within the framework of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. Both pastors and congregational members (n = 855) were surveyed about their perceptions of the role of religion in managing and coping with stress. A focus group involving five members of the clergy was implemented to conduct phase II of the research. This thesis examines how church relationships (i.e. with God, the pastor, and among congregational members) affect our abilities to function through stressful times. For phase I, a modified RCOPE survey (Pargament, Smith, Koenig, & Perez, 1998) was used to measure positive and negative patterns of religious coping methods. Positive strategies, identified as turning to God, during critical events and negative strategies were identified as turning away from God during times of crises. The positive patterns consisted of religious forgiveness, seeking spiritual support, collaborative religious coping, spiritual connection, religious purification, and benevolent religious reassessment. The negative patterns were defined by spiritual discontent, punishing God reassessments, interpersonal religious discontent, demonic reassessment, and reassessment of God\u27s power. Results of the study revealed that individuals who have experienced some type of religious conversion and ministers made more use of the positive rather than the negative religious coping strategies. However, converts and ministers utilized both positive and negative religious coping strategies—e.g., Talking to God, Support, Punishment, and Expectancy Violation