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The Role of Communication Affordances in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Facebook and WhatsApp Support Groups

Author

Listed:
  • Daphna Yeshua-Katz

    (Department of Communication Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel)

Abstract

(1) Background: Digital health research has indicated that people with stigmatized health problems are drawn to online support groups (OSGs) because these groups help them to manage such conditions. However, little is known about how media affordances—interactions between the technology and the user—reconfigure the ways in which stigmatized individuals use OSGs and interact with others like themselves. (2) Method: The current study applied an affordance framework to evaluate how Facebook and WhatsApp support groups can help military veterans and their partners cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was based on interviews with 34 PTSD-OSG members in Israel. (3) Findings: This research identified five affordances that members appraised as enhancing their coping efforts in the digital world: visibility, availability, multimediality, surveillance, and synchronicity. (4) Conclusions: This study reveals the connection between a specific stigmatized mental health disorder (i.e., PTSD) and perceptions of communication technologies (i.e., affordances), and specifies the uses of technologies for coping with this mental health disorder. Moreover, this study may inform digital intervention designers about which communication affordances can potentially lead to better health outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Daphna Yeshua-Katz, 2021. "The Role of Communication Affordances in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Facebook and WhatsApp Support Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:9:p:4576-:d:543594
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    Cited by:

    1. Jean-Michel Mercier & Fardous Hosseiny & Sara Rodrigues & Anthony Friio & Suzette Brémault-Phillips & Duncan M. Shields & Gabrielle Dupuis, 2023. "Peer Support Activities for Veterans, Serving Members, and Their Families: Results of a Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-22, February.

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