ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2020
The role of off-topic discussions in online health support groups: insights from a content analysis of an online rectal cancer group.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- How Cancer Online Support Groups Work, for Whom, and in What Circumstances: Realist Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Review
- Use of a Mobile Health Intervention by Older Versus Younger People with HIV: Analysis of Usage, Social Support, and Network Interactions.Telemedicine reports · 2022Article
- Seeking or contributing? Evidence of knowledge sharing behaviours in promoting patients' perceived value of online health communities.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2020Article
- Exploring the Factors Influencing Consumers to Voluntarily Reward Free Health Service Contributors in Online Health Communities: Empirical Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeBoth off-topic discussions and exchanges of social support are important to the success of online health support groups. Analyzing their relationship could enhance our understanding of the nature of helpful interactions in online cancer support groups and ways promoting their success.
methodsA total of 15,284 messages were collected and analyzed from an online support group for rectal cancer. Two coders coded and categorized the messages into 211 threads using directed content analysis and a social support classification system. The relationship between off-topic discussions and social support was explored using the quadratic assignment procedure.
resultsThere are 91 threads of off-topic discussions, 83 threads of informational support, 22 threads of emotional support, seven threads of tangible support, five threads of network support, and three threads of esteem support. More of the off-topic discussions are associated with more emotional and tangible support. Both off-topic discussions and informational support are mutually influenced by the mediating role of emotional support. In addition, off-topic discussions and network support are mutually influenced by the mediating role of emotional and tangible support, and off-topic discussions and esteem support are mutually influenced by the mediating role of tangible support.
conclusionsOff-topic discussions directly or indirectly promote different types of social support in an online rectal cancer support group.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.