Evidence for a hierarchy of social support on pregnancy-related social networking sites

Studies suggest social support is important for positive pregnancy outcomes. While social support has traditionally been studied in face-to-face contexts, recently social networking sites have become the latest incarnation of support communities, with forums developing around specific health conditions like pregnancy. Research suggests that women are more likely to seek health information online and to participate in social networking sites. Therefore, it is important to understand the kinds of support that are exchanged on these sites and the potential implications participation on them might have for maternal and child health. This study used two methodologies to examine the social support exchanged on these sites. First, a content analysis was conducted with a sample of 572 support-seeking messages and 1,965 support-providing messages from two sites during one month. Members were largely American, Caucasian, and married. Informational and emotional support were most in demand. Further, members sought information on a range of health topics, but especially issues related to the beginning and end of pregnancy. Next, a social network analysis was conducted to examine how the structure of the support network was associated with the dimension of support provided. Analyses suggested that there was a hierarchy of social support wherein the network disintegrated as the demands of the support provision increased. Social network analysis also supported the findings of the content analysis in illustrating that these are weak tie networks that largely exchange informational support. The implications of these and other findings and directions for future research will be discussed.