Characterizing online social support for alcohol use disorder: A mixed‐methods approach

Author:

Colditz Jason B.1ORCID,Chu Kar‐Hai2ORCID,Hsiao Lily1,Barrett Erica2,Kraemer Kevin L.1,Pedersen Sarah L.3

Affiliation:

1. Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA

2. Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA

3. Department of Psychiatry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundOnline social media communities are increasingly popular venues for discussing alcohol use disorder (AUD) and recovery. Little is known about distinct contexts of social support that are exchanged in this milieu, which are critical to understanding the social dynamics of online recovery support.MethodsWe randomly selected one post per day over the span of a year from the StopDrinking recovery forum. Direct responses to posts were double coded within an established theoretical framework of social support. Within a mixed‐methods research framework, we quantified the linguistic characteristics of 1386 responses (i.e., text length, complexity, and sentiment) and qualitatively explored themes within and among different types of social support.ResultsEmotional support was most prevalent (74% of responses) and appeared as the sole form of support in 38% of responses. Emotionally supportive responses were significantly shorter, less complex, and more positively valenced than other support types. Appraisal support was also common in 55% of responses, while informational support was identified in only 17%. There was substantial overlap among support types, with 40% of responses including two or more types. Salient themes included the common use of community‐specific acronyms in emotional support. Appraisal support conveyed feedback about attitudes and behaviors that are perceived as (un‐) favorable for AUD recovery. Informational support responses were composed primarily of recommendations for self‐help literature, clinical treatment approaches, and peer recovery programs.ConclusionsSocial support in this sample was primarily emotional in nature, with other types of support included to provide feedback and guidance (i.e., appraisal support) and supplemental recovery resources (i.e., informational support). The provided social support framework can be helpful in characterizing community dynamics among heterogeneous online AUD recovery support forums. This framework could also be helpful in considering changes in support approaches that correspond to progress in recovery.

Funder

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Publisher

Wiley

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