ArticleDigital health
Between support and strain: How do the illness narratives of patients with mental issues articulate the affordances of smartphones?
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Experiences of young adults with cardiovascular disease in using digital health: a protocol for a qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis from the perspective of media affordances.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: This study explores how smartphones are depicted in the illness narratives of patients with mental health issues, focusing on the roles smartphones play and their affordances within online depression communities. Methods: We analyzed discussions from an online depression group with over 60,000 members using Semantic Network Analysis (SNA) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Results: The study identified three key roles of smartphones-as information brokers, communication tools, and emotional valves-which correspond to affordances of visibility, connectivity, and persistence. These affordances both facilitate and constrain behaviors in illness narratives, revealing a double-edged sword effect where smartphones provide essential support and emotional relief but also exacerbate negative experiences such as anxiety and rumination. Conclusion: The findings bridge affordance theory and online narrative studies, deepening the understanding of media technologies' interplay with mental health. This study offers insights into how smartphone affordances shape lived experiences, contributing to the development of digital narrative therapy.
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