Dual effects of social support seeking in patient-centric online healthcare communities: A longitudinal study

This study investigates exploratory and purposeful social support-seeking behaviors in the patient-centric online healthcare community (POHC). The antecedents and varying effects of the two behaviors on uncertainties in diagnosis and treatment are examined. Two rounds of field surveys are conducted...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Information & management 2020-12, Vol.57 (8), p.103270, Article 103270
Main Authors: Liu, Na, Tong, Yu, Chan, Hock Chuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Health severity
Information credibility
Online healthcare communities
Social identity
Social support seeking
Uncertainty in illness
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Summary:This study investigates exploratory and purposeful social support-seeking behaviors in the patient-centric online healthcare community (POHC). The antecedents and varying effects of the two behaviors on uncertainties in diagnosis and treatment are examined. Two rounds of field surveys are conducted among users in three POHCs. Findings indicate that exploratory and purposeful social support-seeking behaviors exert varying effects on the change in uncertainty in illness and are influenced differently by the perceived information credibility of users, their identification with a community, and the perceived severity of their illness.
ISSN:0378-7206
1872-7530
DOI:10.1016/j.im.2020.103270