ArticleBMJ open2019
Are there also negative effects of social support? A qualitative study of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Including significant others in vocational rehabilitation: a scoping review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Disclosing Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis Exploring the Experience of, and Barriers and Facilitators to, Self-Disclosure.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of a support group leader education program jointly developed by health professionals and patients on peer leader self-efficacy among leaders of scleroderma support groups: a two-arm parallel partially nested randomised controlled trial.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2022Trial
- Optimism and mindfulness are associated with decreased abdominal pain among adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Unmasking the Silent Struggle: The Impact of Psychological Distress and Social Support on Health-Related Quality of Life in Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.JMA journal · 2026Article
- A Qualitative Study Exploring Psychosocial Care in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Lessons from Aotearoa New Zealand.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Understanding the mental health effects of social support among university students: a hybrid SEM-ANN approach.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Living with Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy from a patient perspective.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2025Article
- Social Listening as a Tool to Understand Nutrition-Related Information Needs: A Case Study in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Article
- Leave me alone! When does social support become a menace to pain management?The Korean journal of pain · 2025Article
- The Association between Social Support and Musculoskeletal Health in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study.Calcified tissue international · 2025Article
- Factors Affecting Engagement in Screening Clinics; Exploring the Experiences of Patients with Rare Endocrine Gene Disorders.Journal of patient experience · 2025Article
- Recommendations on recording harms in randomised controlled trials of behaviour change interventions.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Article
- Peer Support for Chronic Pain in Online Health Communities: Quantitative Study on the Dynamics of Social Interactions in a Chronic Pain Forum.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Preferences for Peer Support Amongst Families Engaged in Paediatric Screening Programmes: The Perspectives of Parents Involved in Screening for Type 1 Diabetes in Children Aged 3-13.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Differential effects of COVID-19 stressor types on mental health and moderating roles of coping strategies.International journal of stress management · 2024Article
- The impact of social determinants of health on early outcomes after adult Chiari surgery.GeroScience · 2024Article
- Article
- A brief but comprehensive three-item social connectedness screener for use in social risk assessment tools.PloS one · 2024Article
- Does social support improve self-management among rural hypertensive patients? An empirical analysis based on generalized propensity score matching.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveSocial support is considered an important resource in coping with chronic conditions. By conducting a series of interviews with people who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we received the impression that social support in face-to-face or online communication could also be a source of stress and strain. The aim of our study was to better understand and describe possible negative effects of social support.
designThis is a secondary analysis of narrative interviews. The interviewees were selected using a maximum-variation sampling approach. Grounded theory and the 'OSOP' (one sheet of paper) method were applied to categorise those parts of the interviews that touched on the negative effects of social support.
settingThe open-end interview collection took place throughout Germany from September 2011 to June 2012. Most of the participants were interviewed in their homes, some in the Department of General Practice in Göttingen.
participants42 patients with IBD.
resultsTwo interrelated categories emerged: (1) unwanted confrontation and (2) undesirable reactions. The interviewees perceived social support as negative, especially if they felt overwhelmed and/or if they had not asked for it. Consequently, some of our interview partners developed strategies to prevent coming into social contact with others or stopped talking entirely about their disease.
conclusionWhile social support is usually conceptualised and perceived as a positive resource in chronic disease, it sometimes turns into a negative experience and may end in social isolation and deteriorate health. This process also happens in online support groups and increases anxiety when exchanging with other people on the internet. Before motivating ill people to seek contact with others, they should know about the negative effects of social support.
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Registered trials
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