The Use of Online Support Groups to Seek Information about Chronic Illness: Applying the Theory of Motivated Information Management

摘要

The growing number of adults living with chronic illness, combined with theincreased availability of illness-specific online support groups, is changing the wayindividuals seek information about their chronic illnesses. This study utilized elementsof the theory of motivated information management (TMIM) to examine howindividuals decide to seek information about their chronic illness from online supportgroups. Adults with chronic illness who had visited at least one online support groupin the last six months completed an online survey. Structural equation modelfindings revealed that, although uncertainty discrepancy about a chronic illness didnot predict negative emotional response, both target efficacy and communicationefficacy were positively related to information-seeking. Findings aid in explainingspecific processes individuals go through when deciding to visit online support groupsto gather information about their chronic illnesse, but cannot conclusively supportTMIM in this context.