TY  - JOUR
T1  - The role of online support communities: Benefits of expanded social networks to patients with psoriasis
AU  - Idriss SZ, Kvedar JC, Watson AJ
Y1  - 2009/01/01
N1  - 10.1001/archdermatol.2008.529
JO  - Archives of Dermatology
SP  - 46
EP  - 51
VL  - 145
IS  - 1
N2  - Objective 
    To determine the demographics, usage patterns, attitudes, and experiences of online support site users.Design 
    Online survey.Patients 
    A total of 260 subjects recruited from 5 online psoriasis support groups.Main Outcome Measures 
    An exploratory analysis was performed to determine demographic and disease characteristics of online support site users. Perceived benefits were also documented.Results 
    The mean (SD) age of respondents was 40.1 (11.5) years (range, 18-75 years), most (75.7%) were white, female (60.4%), and college educated (84.3%). Key factors associated with use of online support sites included availability of resources (95.3%), convenience (94.0%), access to good advice (91.0%), and the lack of embarrassment when dealing with personal issues (90.8%). The most common activities were posting messages (65.0%) and searching for information (63.1%). Nearly half of all respondents perceived improvements in their quality of life (49.5%) and psoriasis severity (41.0%) since joining the site. Intensity of participation in online support activities was associated with improved quality of life (P = .002), but not with improvements in psoriasis severity.Conclusions 
    Our data demonstrate that psoriasis virtual communities offer users both a valuable educational resource and a source of psychological and social support. Such benefits could be further enhanced by physician engagement within these communities.
SN  - 0003-987X
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archdermatol.2008.529
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archdermatol.2008.529
ER  -