ArticleJournal of cancer survivorship : research and practice2020
Online social support among breast cancer patients: longitudinal changes to Facebook use following breast cancer diagnosis and transition off therapy.
Article in Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Connected and supported: a scoping review of how online communities provide social support for breast cancer survivors.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026Article
- Trauma narratives and healing of offspring caregivers of breast cancer patients: a mixed qualitative methods study.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- In Their Own Words: Patient Narratives of Breast Cancer Surgery and Reconstruction.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2025Article
- "Crying in the Wilderness"-The Use of Web-Based Support in Telomere Biology Disorders: Thematic Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- "The Materials Didn't Really Seem to Apply to Me": A Focus-Group Study on Young Women's Needs and Perspectives on Breast Cancer Educational Material.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2024Article
- Stigma and related influencing factors in brain cancer patients: a cross-sectional study and parallel mediation analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
- The Use of Social Media to Express and Manage Medical Uncertainty in Dyskeratosis Congenita: Content Analysis.JMIR infodemiology · 2024Article
- The Role of Social Media in Breast Cancer Care and Survivorship: A Narrative Review.Breast care (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- How TikTok Is Being Used to Help Individuals Cope With Breast Cancer: Cross-sectional Content Analysis.JMIR cancer · 2022Article
- Psychosocial Needs of Gynecological Cancer Survivors: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Women's interdependence after hysterectomy: a qualitative study based on Roy adaptation model.BMC women's health · 2022Article
- Patients' Perspective About the Cost of Diabetes Management: An Analysis of Online Health Communities.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes · 2021Article
- Patterns of social media use and associations with psychosocial outcomes among breast and gynecologic cancer survivors.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2021Article
- A History of #BCSM and Insights for Patient-Centered Online Interaction and Engagement.Journal of patient-centered research and reviews · 2020Article
- Social media as a modern Emergency Broadcast System: A longitudinal qualitative study of social media during COVID-19 and its impacts on social connection and social distancing compliance.Computers in human behavior reportsArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeActive social engagement, both on and offline, is widely recognized as an important buffer against the negative effects of cancer-related stress. Nevertheless, studies show that social stigma can lead to a decrease in available social support following cancer diagnosis. This study examines whether Facebook friends provide continuous, health-promoting social support to breast cancer patients following transitions in care.
methodsTo examine support provided to breast cancer patients, we hand-coded 21,291 status updates and wall posts with respect to both post content and support exchange. We then use descriptive statistics, pairwise t tests, and temporal maps to show whether posts received more likes, comments, or unique commenters following breast cancer diagnosis and the post content that was most likely to garner positive responses from Facebook friends.
resultsResults showed an initial increase across all three support metrics (likes, comments, and unique commenters) after cancer diagnosis but that all three metrics decrease steadily over time. Results also revealed significant decreases in the average number of comments and number of commenters following transition off cancer treatment.
conclusionsTaken together, our results reveal that while support is available through Facebook, support may be sporadic, characterized by limited engagement and low cost. There is also limited support available through Facebook to weather the stress of transition off cancer treatment. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Facebook is an important feature in people's lives, particularly among the demographic most impacted by breast cancer. Our results suggest that social media can be useful in accessing support but should be used with caution.
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