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Internet use and stigmatized illness

Author

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  • Berger, Magdalena
  • Wagner, Todd H.
  • Baker, Laurence C.

Abstract

People with stigmatized illnesses often avoid seeking health care and education. The internet may be a useful health education and outreach tool for this group. This study examined patterns of internet use for health information among those with and without stigmatized illnesses. A national survey of internet users in the USA was conducted. Respondents who self-reported a stigmatized condition--defined as anxiety, depression, herpes, or urinary incontinence--were compared to respondents who reported having at least one other chronic illness, such as cancer, heart problems, diabetes, and back pain. The analytical sample consisted of 7014 respondents. Cross-sectional associations between stigmatized illness and frequency of internet use for information about health care, use of the internet for communication about health, changes in health care utilization after internet use, and satisfaction with the internet were determined. After controlling for a number of potential confounders, those with stigmatized illnesses were significantly more likely to have used the internet for health information, to have communicated with clinicians about their condition using the internet, and to have increased utilization of health care based on information found on the internet, than those with non-stigmatized conditions. Length of time spent online, frequency of internet use, satisfaction with health information found on the internet, and discussion of internet findings with health care providers did not significantly differ between the two groups. Results from this survey suggest that the internet may be a valuable health communication and education tool for populations who are affected by stigmatized illnesses.

Suggested Citation

  • Berger, Magdalena & Wagner, Todd H. & Baker, Laurence C., 2005. "Internet use and stigmatized illness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(8), pages 1821-1827, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:61:y:2005:i:8:p:1821-1827
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    1. Fortenberry, J.D. & McFarlane, M. & Bleakley, A. & Bull, S. & Fishbein, M. & Grimley, D.M. & Malotte, C.K. & Stoner, B.P., 2002. "Relationships of stigma and shame to gonorrhea and HIV screening," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 92(3), pages 378-381.
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    2. Tefft, Nathan, 2011. "Insights on unemployment, unemployment insurance, and mental health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 258-264, March.
    3. Slauson-Blevins, Kathleen S. & McQuillan, Julia & Greil, Arthur L., 2013. "Online and in-person health-seeking for infertility," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 110-115.
    4. Foster, Drew, 2016. "‘Keep complaining til someone listens’: Exchanges of tacit healthcare knowledge in online illness communities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 25-32.
    5. Wu, Haitao & Ba, Ning & Ren, Siyu & Xu, Lu & Chai, Jingxia & Irfan, Muhammad & Hao, Yu & Lu, Zhi-Nan, 2022. "The impact of internet development on the health of Chinese residents: Transmission mechanisms and empirical tests," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Sillence, Elizabeth & Briggs, Pam & Harris, Peter Richard & Fishwick, Lesley, 2007. "How do patients evaluate and make use of online health information?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 1853-1862, May.
    7. McKinley, Christopher J. & Limbu, Yam, 2024. "Promoter or barrier? Assessing how social media predicts Covid-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy: A systematic review of primary series and booster vaccine investigations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    8. Dedding, Christine & van Doorn, Roesja & Winkler, Lex & Reis, Ria, 2011. "How will e-health affect patient participation in the clinic? A review of e-health studies and the current evidence for changes in the relationship between medical professionals and patients," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 49-53, January.
    9. Ronzani, Telmo Mota & Higgins-Biddle, John & Furtado, Erikson F., 2009. "Stigmatization of alcohol and other drug users by primary care providers in Southeast Brazil," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 1080-1084, October.
    10. Halpern, Carolyn Tucker & Mitchell, Ellen M.H. & Farhat, Tilda & Bardsley, Phil, 2008. "Effectiveness of web-based education on Kenyan and Brazilian adolescents' knowledge about HIV/AIDS, abortion law, and emergency contraception: Findings from TeenWeb," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(4), pages 628-637, August.
    11. Elizabeth Highton-Williamson & Stefan Priebe & Domenico Giacco, 2015. "Online social networking in people with psychosis: A systematic review," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 61(1), pages 92-101, February.
    12. Runtong Zhang & Xinyi Lu & Wen Wu & Xiaopu Shang & Manlu Liu, 2018. "Mature or Emerging? The Impact of Treatment-Related Internet Health Information Seeking on Patients’ Trust in Physicians," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, August.
    13. Matthew Greenwood-Nimmo & Kalvinder Shields, 2017. "An Introduction to Data Cleaning Using Internet Search Data," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 50(3), pages 363-372, July.
    14. Eun Kyoung Yun & Hyeoun‐Ae Park, 2010. "Consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(19‐20), pages 2860-2868, October.
    15. Ratika Sharma & Britta Wigginton & Carla Meurk & Pauline Ford & Coral E. Gartner, 2016. "Motivations and Limitations Associated with Vaping among People with Mental Illness: A Qualitative Analysis of Reddit Discussions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    16. Xinyi Lu & Runtong Zhang & Xiaomin Zhu, 2019. "An Empirical Study on Patients’ Acceptance of Physician-Patient Interaction in Online Health Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-10, December.

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