Online support-seeking in the context of grief: How support-seeking message content and communication channels shape support providers’ impressions of the bereaved

Abstract

Many bereaved individuals turn online to seek support. The present study employed a 4 (coping display: none, poor, good, balanced) x 2 (platform type: social network site, online support group) x 2 (channel publicness: private, public) between-subjects online experiment with 602 college students. Participants reported on their impressions of the bereaved after viewing a screenshot of either a private message or public post from either Facebook or SupportGroups.com that varied according to the content of the bereaved individual's support-seeking attempt. Results indicated that the most positive impressions of the bereaved were formed when they demonstrated good coping compared to other coping displays, sought support through an online support group as opposed to Facebook, and communicated privately rather than publicly. Further, the perceived appropriateness of support-seeking messages was shaped by a three-way interaction of coping display, platform type, and channel publicness, such that a private Facebook message was viewed as more appropriate than a public Facebook post when the message included any negative content but less appropriate when the message was wholly positive. All effect sizes were very small. Findings are discussed in relation to theory and research on seeking support and coping with distress, in general and in online spaces.