Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32749231›Full record

ArticleJMIR mental health2020

The Public Health Impact and Policy Implications of Online Support Group Use for Mental Health in Singapore: Cross-Sectional Survey.

Kumarasan Roystonn, Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar, Boon Yiang Chua, Rajeswari Sambasivam, Saleha Shafie, Anitha Jeyagurunathan, Swapna Verma, Edimansyah Abdin, Siow Ann Chong, Mythily Subramaniam

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR mental health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. The Role of Communication Affordances in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Facebook and WhatsApp Support Groups.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Kumarasan RoystonnResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9100-0353
Janhavi Ajit VaingankarResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9486-1896
Boon Yiang ChuaResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2642-4421
Rajeswari SambasivamResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0436-9919
Saleha ShafieResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3643-6573
Anitha JeyagurunathanResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8576-4672
Swapna VermaClinical Education, Office of Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1098-0842
Edimansyah AbdinResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1016-3298
Siow Ann ChongResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8889-7980
Mythily SubramaniamResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4530-1096
Institute of Mental Health · SGDuke-NUS Medical School · SGNational University of Singapore · SG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe wide mental health treatment gap continues to pose a global and local public health challenge. Online support groups are on the rise and could be used to complement formal treatment services for mental health.

objectiveThis study aimed to examine the prevalence of online support group use and explore factors associated with the use in the general population using data from a national cross-sectional mental health survey in Singapore.

methodsSingapore residents aged 18 years and above participated in a nationally representative household survey in which the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 was administered by trained interviewers to examine the use of online support groups for mental health. Multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the association of online support group use with various sociodemographic and health factors.

resultsA total of 6110 respondents with complete data were included in this study. Overall, 10 individuals per 1000 adults (1%) reported seeking help from online support groups for their mental health problems. Compared to younger adults (those aged 18 to 34 years) and those with university education, individuals aged 50 to 64 years (P<.001; OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0-0.3) and those with preuniversity qualifications (P=.02; OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0-0.8) were less likely to use online support groups for mental health, respectively. Participants with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder were 6.8 times more likely (P<.001; 95% CI 3.0-15.4) to use an online support group; in particular, individuals with major depressive disorder (P<.001; OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.1-13.8) and obsessive compulsive disorder (P=.01; OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.7) were more likely to use an online support group for their mental health.

conclusionsOnline support groups could be used to complement formal treatment services, especially for mood and anxiety-related disorders. As online support group use for mental health issues may be more prevalent among younger people, early detection and accurate information in online support groups may guide individuals toward seeking professional help for their mental health problems.

Indexed as

internetmental health treatmentmental illnessonline support grouppublic healthself-help

Identifiers

PMID32749231
PMCPMC7435627
OpenAlexW3033662424

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.