How parents of children with clubfeet use online communities to manage illness-related uncertainty: What can we learn from them?

The availability of online support communities creates new opportunities for caregivers of children affected by various health conditions to manage their illness-related uncertainty. Furthermore, online support communities create new opportunities for health communication scholars and professionals to both understand their audience and to deliver interventions. This research examined uncertainty management behaviors in online interactions among parents (caregivers) of children with clubfeet. The Uncertainty Management Theory (uncertainty, information seeking, and social support) provided the theoretical foundation for the study. A content analysis of 775 randomly-selected messages exchanged in an online support community dedicated to parents of children with clubfeet was conducted to describe the online behaviors and interactions of parents. Women authored 85.7% (N=664) messages. Emotions are used by individuals to both express uncertainty and to manage uncertainty. In 20% of messages the emotions expressed were positive. Information seeking behaviors included direct questioning (25.3% of all messages), self disclosure (15%), followed by second guessing and passive information seeking. The most frequent type of social support was provision of information. Personal experience was the source of information in 60% of the messages. Thirteen percent of the messages included medical information and 25% clearly identified medical care providers. Results suggest that online communities dedicated to parents of children with health issues represent a promising setting for studying illness-related uncertainty and its potential causes. Important practical and theoretical implications will be discussed.