ArticleJMIR cancer2021
Using Social Media for Peer-to-Peer Cancer Support: Interviews With Young Adults With Cancer.
Article in JMIR cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social media-based interventions for patients with cancer: a meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomised controlled trials.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2023Pooled it
- Urologists' Estimation of Online Support Group Utilization Behavior of Their Patients With Newly Diagnosed Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer in Germany: Predefined Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Designing Positive Psychology Interventions for Social Media: Cross-Sectional Web-Based Experiment With Young Adults With Cancer.JMIR cancer · 2024Trial
- The patient journey of adolescents and young adults with thyroid cancer: A social media listening study in China.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2026Article
- Financial hardship in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors and adult survivors of childhood cancers.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026Review
- Medication-Related Information on Social Media: Exploring Public Trust, Perceptions of Credibility, and Influence on Behavior.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Are Social Media Platforms an Effective Forum for Engaging Early-Onset Cancer Survivors? Insights From X (Formerly Twitter).Asia-Pacific journal of clinical oncology · 2026Article
- How Cancer Online Support Groups Work, for Whom, and in What Circumstances: Realist Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Review
- The use of social media interventions for breast cancer survivors: a narrative review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Review
- Pathways and Roadblocks in Navigating Online Cancer Communities: Qualitative Study Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors.JMIR cancer · 2026Article
- Social support, health literacy, perceived control, and health-promoting behaviors in young and middle-aged lung cancer surgical patients: a structural equation model analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Intervening and reducing sharing of false cancer treatments on social media: Online experiment.PloS one · 2026Article
- Characterizing authoritative oncology-related key opinion leaders on Weibo: A social media profiling study.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2025Article
- Emotional strategies to enhance resilience in patients with cancer: A scoping review.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2025Review
- Public Engagement with Lung Cancer Screening Information: Topic Modeling of Lung Cancer-Related Reddit Posts.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes and Their Perspectives on Diabetes-Related Social Media: Qualitative Study.JMIR diabetes · 2025Article
- The preferences of breast cancer patients regarding a digital social care platform.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Digital technology as a tool to provide social support to individuals with cancer in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Examining BRCA Previvors' Social Media Content Creation as a Form of Self and Community Care: Qualitative Interview Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Digital humanistic program to manage premature frailty in young breast cancer survivors with gender perspective.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWeb-based social support can address social isolation and unmet support needs among young adults with cancer (aged 18-39 years). Given that 94% of young adults own and use smartphones, social media can offer personalized, accessible social support among peers with cancer.
objectiveThis study aims to examine the specific benefits, downsides, and topics of social support via social media among young adults with cancer.
methodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with young adults with cancer, aged between 18 and 39 years, who were receiving treatment or had completed treatment for cancer.
resultsMost participants (N=45) used general audience platforms (eg, Facebook groups), and some cancer-specific social media (eg, Caring Bridge), to discuss relevant lived experiences for medical information (managing side effects and treatment uncertainty) and navigating life with cancer (parenting and financial issues). Participants valued socializing with other young adults with cancer, making connections outside their personal networks, and being able to validate their emotional and mental health experiences without time and physical constraints. However, using social media for peer support can be an emotional burden, especially when others post disheartening or harassing content, and can heighten privacy concerns, especially when navigating cancer-related stigma.
conclusionsSocial media allows young adults to connect with peers to share and feel validated about their treatment and life concerns. However, barriers exist for receiving support from social media; these could be reduced through content moderation and developing more customizable, potentially cancer-specific social media apps and platforms to enhance one's ability to find peers and manage groups.
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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.