title: Communicating about self and others within an online support group for women with breast cancer and subsequent outcomes.
abstract: Research suggests communicating too much about one's self within an online support group may amplify breast cancer patients' focus on their own problems and exacerbate negative emotions while focusing on others may have the opposite effects. This study explored how pronoun usage within an online support group was associated with subsequent mental health outcomes. There were 286 patients recruited into the study who filled out the pre-test and 231 completed post-tests four months later with survey measures including breast cancer-related concerns and negative emotions. Messages were analyzed using a program counting first person and relational pronouns. A positive relationship was found between use of first person pronouns and negative emotions.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin -Madison & Center for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research, Department of Life Sciences Communication, USA. brshaw@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Bret R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.lastname: Jeong Yeob Han
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Fiona M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: McTavish
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Gustafson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000533:Altruism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012660:Semantics; D012803:Sick Role