Exploring the Effect of Social Support and Empathy on User Engagement in Online Mental Health Communities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15467820 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yixin Chen (0000-0001-7330-2366, Peking University), Yang Xu (0000-0003-3898-022X, Peking University), Xu Yang (0000-0001-5928-7710, Peking University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 13 |
| Pages | 6855-6855 |
| Publication date | 2021-06-26 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph18136855 |
| PMID | 34206719 |
| OpenAlex | W3177077754 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 57 |
It is known that social support and empathy are beneficial for mental health. As a result of the widespread development of social media, online social support and empathy could also influence user behaviors during the development of online communities. However, few studies have examined these effects from the perspective of online mental health communities. These communities appear to be a crucial source for mental health related support, but the spread of online empathy in these communities is not well-understood. This study focused on 22 mental health related subreddits, and matched and compared users (1) who received social support with those who did not receive social support, and users (2) who received more empathic social support with those who received less empathic social support. The results showed that social support and empathy are "contagious". That is, users who received social support at their first post would be more likely to post again and provide support for others; in addition, users who received more empathic support would subsequently express a higher level of empathy to others in the future. Our findings indicate the potential chain reaction of social support and empathy in online mental health communities. Our study also provides insights into how online mental health communities might better assist people to deliver social support that can help others to deal with mental problems
Empathy · Mental health · Online participation · Perspective (graphical · Psychiatry · Social media · Social support · The Internet · World Wide Web · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Mental Health via Writing · Psychology · Social Psychology
Wise Empathy Improves Well-Being on Instagram
The path to happiness for music students
The impact of online health communities on the mental health of support seekers of china’s diabetic patients from the perspective of social support theory
Social support, posttraumatic growth, and prosocial behaviors among adolescents following a flood
Digital Compassion
Participant behavior and community response in online mental health communities
Exploring the impact of medical lexicon use and social capital in online health communities
Assessing the Impact of Moral Elevation on Altruistic Behavior in the Context of Media Convergence
Online communication and positive psychological capital of college students in China
Identifying Yalom’s group therapeutic factors in anonymous mental health discussions on Reddit
Health related virtual communities and electronic support groups
Relational regulation theory
Social Support, Negative Life Events and Mental Health
Social support and smoking cessation and maintenance.
Mental Health Discourse on reddit
Emotional Contagion
The Relationship Between Use of Social Network Sites, Online Social Support, and Well-Being
Facebooking for health
Prospective Relations Between Social Support and Depression
Controllability of Stressful Events and Satisfaction With Spouse Support Behaviors
Vader
Using Propensity Scores to Help Design Observational Studies
Reducing Bias in Observational Studies Using Subclassification on the Propensity Score
The future of mental health care
The search for peer advice in cyberspace
The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development
Social Ties and Mental Health
Using Empathy to Improve Intergroup Attitudes and Relations
Empathy-Related Responding
Virtual Community Attraction
The Role of Empathy in Improving Intergroup Relations
Social support and mental health among college students
Predictors of Psychological Distress in Low-income Populations of Montreal
Measuring individual differences in empathy
Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis
Stress, Coping, and Social Support Processes
The Psychological Meaning of Words
| Citations per year | 3.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |