Leveraging the Power of Peer Groups for Refugee Integration : A Randomized Field Experiment Comparing Online and Offline Peer Groups
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ABSTRACT: Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12599-021-00725-9.
SUBMITTER: Forster M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8591321 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Background:Peer support for people with long-term mental health problems is central to recovery-oriented approaches in mental health care. Peer support has traditionally been conducted offline in face-to-face groups, while online groups on the Internet have increased rapidly. Offline and online peer support groups are shown to have differing strengths and weaknesses. However, little is known about how combining the two formats might be experienced by service users, which this paper aims to illuminate. Methods:In this exploratory and descriptive study, a recovery-oriented Internet-based portal called ReConnect was used by service users in two mental health communities in Norway for 6-12 months. The portal included an online peer support group which also facilitated participation in local offline peer support groups. Both group formats were moderated by an employed service user consultant. Qualitative data about service users' experiences were collected through focus groups and individual interviews and inductively analyzed thematically. Results:A total of 14 female service users 22-67 years of age with various diagnoses participated in three focus groups and 10 individual interviews. Two main themes were identified: (1) balancing anonymity and openness, and (2) enabling connectedness. These themes are further illustrated with the subthemes: (i) dilemmas of anonymity and confidentiality, (ii) towards self-disclosure and openness, (iii) new friendships, and (iv) networks in the local community. Three of the subthemes mainly describe benefits, while challenges were more implicit and cut across the subthemes. Identified challenges were related to transitions from anonymity online to revealing one's identity offline, confidentiality, and barriers related to participation in offline peer support groups. Conclusions:This study suggests that online and offline peer support groups complement each other, and that combining them is mainly described as beneficial by service users. Identified benefits appeared to arise from service users' options of one format or the other, or that they could combine formats in ways that suited their individual values and comfort zones. Moderation by a trained service user consultant appeared essential for both formats and can be used systematically to address identified challenges. Combining online and offline peer support groups is a promising concept for facilitating recovery-oriented care and warrants continued research.
| S-EPMC7260836 | biostudies-literature
Project description:As the consequences of anthropogenic climate change become more apparent, social media has become a central tool for environmental activists to raise awareness and to mobilize society. In two studies, we examine how the emotional framing of messages posted by environmental activists influences engagement and behavioral intentions toward environmental action. In the first study, tweets (N = 510k) of 50 environmental activists posted between November 2015 and December 2020 are examined to measure their emotional content and its relation to tweet diffusion. Environment-related tweets are found to be shared more the less they contain positive emotion and the more they contain negative emotion. This result supports the negativity bias on social media. In Study 2 (N = 200), we experimentally test whether negatively vs. positively framed environmental content leads to increased reported intent to engage with collective action, and whether mood mediates that link. We find both direct and indirect effects on reported climate action intentions when mood is used as a mediator. The negative mood resulting from seeing negative tweets makes participants more likely to report higher action intention (indirect effect)-congruent with Study 1. However, seeing negative tweets also makes participants less inclined to act (direct effect), indicating a suppression effect and the presence of other factors at work on the pathway between information and action intent formation. This work highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of this relation and motivates more experimental work to identify other relevant factors, as well as how they relate to one another.
| S-EPMC9928158 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Online hate speech is a critical and worsening problem, with extremists using social media platforms to radicalize recruits and coordinate offline violent events. While much progress has been made in analyzing online hate speech, no study to date has classified multiple types of hate speech across both mainstream and fringe platforms. We conduct a supervised machine learning analysis of 7 types of online hate speech on 6 interconnected online platforms. We find that offline trigger events, such as protests and elections, are often followed by increases in types of online hate speech that bear seemingly little connection to the underlying event. This occurs on both mainstream and fringe platforms, despite moderation efforts, raising new research questions about the relationship between offline events and online speech, as well as implications for online content moderation.
| S-EPMC9876356 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Internet has become an integral part of our daily life, and how to make the best use of the Internet is important to both individuals and the society. Based on previous studies, an Online and Offline Integration Hypothesis is proposed to suggest a framework for considering harmonious and balanced Internet use. The Integration Hypothesis proposes that healthier patterns of Internet usage may be achieved through harmonious integration of people's online and offline worlds. An online/offline integration is proposed to unite self-identity, interpersonal relationships, and social functioning with both cognitive and behavioral aspects by following the principles of communication, transfer, consistency, and "offline-first" priorities. To begin to test the hypothesis regarding the relationship between integration level and psychological outcomes, data for the present study were collected from 626 undergraduate students (41.5% males). Participants completed scales for online and offline integration, Internet addiction, pros and cons of Internet use, loneliness, extraversion, and life satisfaction. The findings revealed that subjects with higher level of online/offline integration have higher life satisfaction, greater extraversion, and more positive perceptions of the Internet and less loneliness, lower Internet addiction, and fewer negative perceptions of the Internet. Integration mediates the link between extraversion and psychological outcomes, and it may be the mechanism underlying the difference between the "rich get richer" and social compensation hypotheses. The implications of the online and offline integration hypothesis are discussed.
| S-EPMC5908967 | biostudies-literature
Project description:While the importance of social networks for health behaviors is well-recognized, relatively little is known regarding the accuracy of anonymous online communication and its impact on health behavior. In 2012, we conducted a laboratory experiment in Boston, Massachusetts with 679 individuals to understand how anonymous online communication affects individual prevention decisions. Participants had to opt for or against investing in prevention over three sessions, each consisting of 15 experimental rounds. In the third session only, participants could share their experiences with a group of 1-3 other anonymous participants after each round. Groups exchanged an average of 16 messages over the 15 rounds of the third session. 70% of messages contained information about the subject's prevention decision and the resulting health outcome. Participants were more likely to communicate when they prevented than when they did not, with prevention failures resulting in the highest probability of sending a message. Nonetheless, receiving an additional message reporting prevention increased the odds a subject would prevent by 32 percent. We find that participants tend to adopt the prevention behavior reported by others, with less weight given to the reported outcomes of prevention, suggesting that social networks may influence behaviors through more than just information provision.
| S-EPMC6248974 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo compile and evaluate the evidence on the effects on health and social outcomes of computer based peer to peer communities and electronic self support groups, used by people to discuss health related issues remotely.Design and data sourcesAnalysis of studies identified from Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Evidence Based Medicine Reviews, Electronics and Communications Abstracts, Computer and Information Systems Abstracts, ERIC, LISA, ProQuest Digital Dissertations, Web of Science.Selection of studiesWe searched for before and after studies, interrupted time series, cohort studies, or studies with control groups; evaluating health or social outcomes of virtual peer to peer communities, either as stand alone interventions or in the context of more complex systems with peer to peer components.Main outcome measuresPeer to peer interventions and co-interventions studied, general characteristics of studies, outcome measures used, and study results.Results45 publications describing 38 distinct studies met our inclusion criteria: 20 randomised trials, three meta-analyses of n of 1 trials, three non-randomised controlled trials, one cohort study, and 11 before and after studies. Only six of these evaluated "pure" peer to peer communities, and one had a factorial design with a "peer to peer only" arm, whereas 31 studies evaluated complex interventions, which often included psychoeducational programmes or one to one communication with healthcare professionals, making it impossible to attribute intervention effects to the peer to peer community component. The outcomes measured most often were depression and social support measures; most studies did not show an effect. We found no evidence to support concerns over virtual communities harming people.ConclusionsNo robust evidence exists of consumer led peer to peer communities, partly because most peer to peer communities have been evaluated only in conjunction with more complex interventions or involvement with health professionals. Given the abundance of unmoderated peer to peer groups on the internet, research is required to evaluate under which conditions and for whom electronic support groups are effective and how effectiveness in delivering social support electronically can be maximised.
| S-EPMC411092 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundOnline support groups (OSGs) are one way for people with chronic diseases, their family or friends, and health professionals to communicate, gain information, and provide social support. As the number of peer-to-peer OSGs for chronic musculoskeletal conditions grows, it is important to gain insight into the different designs of groups available, who is accessing them, if and how they may be effective, and what strategies are being used to implement or increase consumer engagement.ObjectiveThe objectives of this systematic review of people with musculoskeletal conditions were to (1) describe the design features (functions, usage options, moderation, and expert input) of peer-to-peer OSGs, (2) describe the characteristics of the individuals using peer-to-peer OSGs, (3) synthesize the evidence on outcomes of participation, and (4) identify strategies used in the delivery and maintenance of OSGs.MethodsA search comprising terms related to the population (people with musculoskeletal disorders) and the intervention (peer-to-peer OSGs) was conducted in 6 databases. Results were filtered from 1990 (internet inception) to February 2019. Studies identified in the search were screened according to predefined eligibility criteria using a 2-step process. Quantitative studies were appraised by 2 reviewers using the Risk Of Bias In Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tool. Qualitative studies were appraised by 2 different reviewers using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. Extracted data were synthesized narratively.ResultsWe examined 21 studies with low to moderate risk of bias. Of these studies, 13 studies included OSGs hosted on public platforms, 11 studies examined OSGs that were conducted in English, and 6 studies used moderators or peer leaders to facilitate engagement. Studies either reported the number of OSG members (n=1985 across all studies) or the number of posts (range: 223-200,000). The majority of OSG members were females who were not full-time employees and with varied levels of education. There were no randomized controlled trials measuring the efficacy of OSGs. Qualitative and quantitative studies identified empowerment, social support, self-management behavior, and health literacy as primary constructs to measure OSG efficacy. Neutral or marginal improvement was reported in these constructs. Sharing experiences and a greater level of engagement appeared to have an important influence on OSGs efficacy. The extent to which members posted on the website influenced engagement.ConclusionsAcross a diverse range of designs, languages, included features, and delivery platforms, peer-to-peer OSGs for chronic musculoskeletal conditions attract predominantly female participants of all ages and education levels. The level of participation of a member appears to be related to their perceived benefit, health literacy, and empowerment. Future studies are needed to identify which design and maintenance strategies have superior efficacy and whether there are concomitant improvements in health outcomes for people with chronic musculoskeletal conditions resulting from participation in OSGs.Trial registrationPROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42018090326; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42018090326.
| S-EPMC7210497 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Animals and humans replay neural patterns encoding trajectories through their environment, both whilst they solve decision-making tasks and during rest. Both on-task and off-task replay are believed to contribute to flexible decision making, though how their relative contributions differ remains unclear. We investigated this question by using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study human subjects while they performed a decision-making task that was designed to reveal the decision algorithms employed. We characterised subjects in terms of how flexibly each adjusted their choices to changes in temporal, spatial and reward structure. The more flexible a subject, the more they replayed trajectories during task performance, and this replay was coupled with re-planning of the encoded trajectories. The less flexible a subject, the more they replayed previously preferred trajectories during rest periods between task epochs. The data suggest that online and offline replay both participate in planning but support distinct decision strategies.
| S-EPMC7299337 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundLong COVID is an emerging public health concern. A growing number of individuals are experiencing prolonged, multifaceted health challenges and accompanying social impacts after COVID-19 infections. Support services in the United Kingdom remain insufficient and fraught with complexity. Responding to persistent gaps in care, patients joined forces in online peer support groups. However, little is known about how these groups impact patients with long COVID and their lived experiences of the condition.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to explore the roles that online peer support groups take on and the impact they have on patients experiencing and recovering from long COVID in the United Kingdom. In doing so, this study aims to identify ways to inform future long COVID care, including online peer support and broader long COVID care structures.MethodsI conducted 11 semistructured interviews virtually on Zoom in July 2021. Participants had long COVID, were UK-based, and used long COVID online peer support groups. Topics discussed in interviews included what led participants to these groups, experiences within them, and feelings about the roles that the groups took on. I analyzed the results by manually conducting thematic analysis.ResultsLong COVID online peer support groups had numerous roles, significantly impacting users. I identified 5 themes and 13 subthemes through thematic analysis. The identified themes were as follows: (1) filling professional care gaps, (2) societal awareness, (3) engagement behavior, (4) diversity, and (5) social connections. Given the void of professional support, those experiencing long COVID gained some benefit from these groups. However, participants emphasized notable concerns about the all-encompassing roles these groups embody and speculated over potential improvements.ConclusionsIf used appropriately, online peer support groups could be immensely beneficial for patient well-being, beyond simply filling gaps in long COVID care. However, it appears many groups take on more than they can manage and become potentially harmful. Through prioritizing patient voices, long COVID care could be restructured to maximize peer support's benefits within broader care structures.
| S-EPMC9128729 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPrevious studies have shown positive tangible health benefits from using online support communities for informational support, daily living support, and emotional support. The specifics of how these communities can be improved have not been studied in detail.ObjectiveThis study will investigate various sources of information that patients with genetic disorders use to learn more about their condition. We will be using patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) as a typical representation of the wider group of patients with genetic disorders. This study will also investigate the benefits and disadvantages of web-based platforms and how they can be improved.MethodsWe used quantitative and qualitative analyses in this study. We undertook a web-based questionnaire survey and semistructured qualitative interviews through Zoom. Questionnaire results were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Thematic coding with constant comparison was used for interview transcript analysis.ResultsA total of 436 respondents completed some or all of the survey. The majority of participants are female (386/413, 93.46%), and 24% (99/413) of them are in the age range of 25-34 years. Around 81% (336/413) of the participants have some type of college degree, and 55% (227/413) of them have graduate degrees. About 49.31% (204/413) of them are not currently employed. Most patients stated that their health care providers did not give accurate and complete information to them regarding their health situation (mean 2.87, SD 1.34). Also, patients perceived their providers as not knowledgeable regarding web-based communities that discuss patients' conditions (mean 1.93, SD 1.15). Patients are confident in using health care resources available in web-based health communities (mean 3.78, SD 1.13). We interviewed 30 participants. The demographics of the interviewees were aligned with those of the survey participants. A total of 9 different themes were identified based on the Qualtrics survey and qualitative interviews. Participants shared the pros and cons of different online support groups that they were using and gave suggestions for improvement. They requested a centralized database with different categories of resources classified based on different diseases. They also emphasized the importance of search features and the ability to find relevant information with a hashtag. Furthermore, they elaborated on the privacy and security concerns they have regarding web-based support group platforms.ConclusionsPatients with rare diseases are finding information not available from their health care providers in community support groups. The medical community and web developers have a great opportunity to help these people by engaging with their web-based communities.
| S-EPMC10540027 | biostudies-literature