Examining support marshalling within an asynchronous online peer support forum for individuals affected by dementia

Coulson, Neil S; Talbot, Catherine V

Abstract

Online support communities may provide individuals affected by dementia opportunities for reciprocal peer support, however, the support marshalling strategies employed and their success remain unclear. Analysis of 100 randomly selected conversation threads from the Dementia Support Forum indicated that 29% (29/100) of opening posts included a direct support marshalling strategy (i.e. explicit support request) compared with 54% (54/100) labelled as indirect, with the remainder not seeking support. Within the direct marshalling posts, informational support was the most frequently requested (n = 23), followed by network support (n = 7), emotional support (n = 5) and esteem support (n = 1) with analysis of subsequent posts confirming that the types of support requested were present within responses. Regardless of whether a direct or indirect strategy was used, most posts received a response, typically on the same day. Other response facets were comparable, apart from thread duration with conversations elicited through a direct strategy being longer (M = 39.71 vs 14.62 days).

Citation

Coulson, N. S., & Talbot, C. V. (in press). Examining support marshalling within an asynchronous online peer support forum for individuals affected by dementia. Journal of Health Psychology, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053241287029

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 8, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 7, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 30, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Health Psychology
• Print ISSN: 1359-1053
• Electronic ISSN: 1461-7277
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-14
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053241287029
• Keywords: Alzheimer, content analysis, online communities, peer support, social support
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/40291375
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13591053241287029