Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105535

Mark S. Salzer, PhD, Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215.349.8483, salzer@mail.med.upenn.edu

Self-help groups are operated and facilitated by non-professionals with common experiences. A number of mutual aid processes have been proposed to explain research evidence that supports the benefits of self-help groups, including increases in peer support. Peer support is consistently found to benefit women with breast cancer in their emotional adjustment and functional status. However, travel distance, time investment, and fatigue, among other factors can limit the extent to which women obtain face-to-face support. The Internet has emerged as an exciting and potentially valuable tool in delivering psychosocial and educational interventions to persons with cancer and other illnesses. The Internet potentially increases the accessibility and utilization of supports for those who do not, or cannot, obtain psychosocial services in person. This presentation will offer examples of mutual aid processes that occur on an Internet self-help group for women with breast cancer. This group is part of a randomized, controlled study of the benefits of Internet self-help groups for women with breast cancer that is funded by the National Cancer Institute. Specific processes that will be presented include examples of social comparisons, reciprocity and mutual aid, social support, and experiential knowledge. Instances of potentially harmful communications will also be presented. These results indicate that mutual aid is occurring and supports the multiple theories that are offered to explain the benefits associated with self-help groups. They also indicate that these same processes occur in Internet self-help groups, contrary to concerns expressed by some about the potential impersonal nature of computer-mediated communications.

Learning Objectives: As a result of this presentation, attendees should be able to

• Discuss various mutual aid processes and their hypothesized benefits
• Describe mutual aid processes, with specific examples, that occur in internet self-help groups
• Discuss the value of internet self-help groups in public health

Keywords: Breast Cancer, Internet

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation