Title: Comparing support to breast cancer patients from online communities and face-to-face support groups
Japan; Breast cancer; Online community; Support resource; Face-to-face support group
Abstract:
To compare support for three groups by considering usage patterns with regard to two peer support resources, online communities, and face-to-face support groups, among patients with breast cancer in Japan. Abstract
Objective
To compare support for three groups by considering usage patterns with regard to two peer support resources, online communities, and face-to-face support groups, among patients with breast cancer in Japan.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1039 breast cancer patients.
Results
Factor analysis indicated that all groups show the five aspects of support: “Emotional support/Helper therapy,” “Emotional expression,” “Conflict,” “Advice,” and “Insight/Universality.” Within the group using two support resources, the support scores of “Emotional expression” and “Advice” were higher for the online community, and those of
“Emotional support/Helper therapy,” and “Insight/Universality” were higher for the face-to-face support group. Among the three groups, the members who received the most peer support were those who used both an online community and a face-to-face support group.
INSIGHTs:
Patients who received the most social support from peers were in the group using both online communities and face-to-face support groups.Breast cancer survivors facing the disease a second time are more likely to live longer if they get psychological counseling.
The new study builds on previous research into the physical benefits for cancer patients who get counseling as well as medical care.
Ohio State University researcher Barbara Andersen began with a group of more than 200 women who'd been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Patients were randomly assigned to get counseling or not. In research published two years ago, Anderson reported that the patients who got counseling were less likely to have a recurrence of the cancer years later.
Now, a follow-up study in the journal Clinical Cancer Research indicates that the women who got counseling also had a lower risk of death if the breast cancer came back.
Andersen says the counseling, "had a large component for stress reduction, teaching patients how to relax. But it also had elements to help them cope with their cancer treatments, change their health behaviors such as their diet, or exercise more frequently. And many strategies to help them just cope more effectively and have an enhanced quality of life."
Andersen says the counseling produced more than psychological benefits for the women.
"They also had reduced symptoms from chemotherapy, improved sleep, and eventually improved disease outcomes."
Counseling is labor intensive, so it may not be cheap. But compared to the cost of surgery, chemotherapy, and other medical treatments for cancer, it can be a good value.
Anderson is looking at that cost effectiveness in some of her current research. Meanwhile, American cancer patients are not routinely getting the sort of psychological counseling given the breast cancer patients in this study.
"No, and I think that's what's unfortunate," says Anderson. "Certainly with the escalating health care costs, other additional services for patients are being squeezed, if you will."
Psychologist Barbara Andersen of Ohio State University says the results of this study can not be automatically extended to patients with different cancers or other serious diseases.
But she says it does suggest the importance of psychological services in patient care, not just for mental health but perhaps for the physical health of the patient as well.
my name is HANNA and my friends used to call me HAN i use this blog for my nursing subject informatics
wish to met someone true to you
Put your wishlist here
Title: Comparing support to breast cancer patients from online communities and face-to-face support groups
Japan; Breast cancer; Online community; Support resource; Face-to-face support group
Abstract:
To compare support for three groups by considering usage patterns with regard to two peer support resources, online communities, and face-to-face support groups, among patients with breast cancer in Japan. Abstract
Objective
To compare support for three groups by considering usage patterns with regard to two peer support resources, online communities, and face-to-face support groups, among patients with breast cancer in Japan.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1039 breast cancer patients.
Results
Factor analysis indicated that all groups show the five aspects of support: “Emotional support/Helper therapy,” “Emotional expression,” “Conflict,” “Advice,” and “Insight/Universality.” Within the group using two support resources, the support scores of “Emotional expression” and “Advice” were higher for the online community, and those of
“Emotional support/Helper therapy,” and “Insight/Universality” were higher for the face-to-face support group. Among the three groups, the members who received the most peer support were those who used both an online community and a face-to-face support group.
INSIGHTs:
Patients who received the most social support from peers were in the group using both online communities and face-to-face support groups.Breast cancer survivors facing the disease a second time are more likely to live longer if they get psychological counseling.
The new study builds on previous research into the physical benefits for cancer patients who get counseling as well as medical care.
Ohio State University researcher Barbara Andersen began with a group of more than 200 women who'd been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Patients were randomly assigned to get counseling or not. In research published two years ago, Anderson reported that the patients who got counseling were less likely to have a recurrence of the cancer years later.
Now, a follow-up study in the journal Clinical Cancer Research indicates that the women who got counseling also had a lower risk of death if the breast cancer came back.
Andersen says the counseling, "had a large component for stress reduction, teaching patients how to relax. But it also had elements to help them cope with their cancer treatments, change their health behaviors such as their diet, or exercise more frequently. And many strategies to help them just cope more effectively and have an enhanced quality of life."
Andersen says the counseling produced more than psychological benefits for the women.
"They also had reduced symptoms from chemotherapy, improved sleep, and eventually improved disease outcomes."
Counseling is labor intensive, so it may not be cheap. But compared to the cost of surgery, chemotherapy, and other medical treatments for cancer, it can be a good value.
Anderson is looking at that cost effectiveness in some of her current research. Meanwhile, American cancer patients are not routinely getting the sort of psychological counseling given the breast cancer patients in this study.
"No, and I think that's what's unfortunate," says Anderson. "Certainly with the escalating health care costs, other additional services for patients are being squeezed, if you will."
Psychologist Barbara Andersen of Ohio State University says the results of this study can not be automatically extended to patients with different cancers or other serious diseases.
But she says it does suggest the importance of psychological services in patient care, not just for mental health but perhaps for the physical health of the patient as well.
| 
