Reciprocal Communication in Online Health Support Groups: Effects of Message Format and Social Support on Individual Responses to Health Issues

Weirui Wang, Fuyuan Shen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which message format and social support may affect individuals’ participatory responses in online health support groups and their subsequent affective and attitudinal responses. An experiment with a 2 (message format: narrative vs. nonnarrative) × 2 (social support: emotional support vs. informational support) between-subjects factorial design was conducted among 98 participants. Results indicated that narrative messages facilitated reciprocal communication. In turn, participants who provided such participatory responses reported less fear and sadness, more favorable health attitudes, and greater behavioral intentions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)240-266
Number of pages27
JournalMedia Psychology
Volume20
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 3 2017

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Social Psychology
  • Communication
  • Applied Psychology

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