Seek Support Research Articles

Cyberincivility among Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence.

The ubiquitous use of social media places adolescents at high risk for cyberincivility (disrespectful, insensitive, or disruptive online behaviors). Adolescents who experience cyberincivility can have mental health issues including depression and suicidal ideation. However, no reviews synthesized findings from qualitative studies on cyberincivility among adolescents, which was the aim of this review. Eleven articles were extracted from MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Education Full Text. Study qualities were assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist. A meta-ethnographic framework guided the thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: forms of cyberincivility, platforms used for cyberincivility, perceptions and understanding of cyberincivility, adverse impact on health, and perceptions of seeking support. Social media was often used for cyberincivility, and common forms of cyberincivility included impersonation, aggressive verbal behaviors, and social exclusion. Adolescents perceived cyberincivility as persistent and relentless, with severe health impacts including depression, but they hesitate to seek support. Considering the negative impact of cyberincivility on adolescents' physical and mental well-being, it is important to develop anti-cyberincivility programs in schools. Schools have opportunities to efficiently reach both perpetrators and victims of cyberincivility with anti-cyberincivility programs rooted in trust building and engagement from family, community, and peers.

Insecure attachment and support-seeking during COVID-19: a sequential mixed methods investigation

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic led many couples to stay at home together with minimal contact with others. As social distancing measures reduced contact with outside households, many partners could seek support only from one another. In two studies using a sequential mixed methods design, we investigated support-seeking behaviors in romantic relationships during COVID-19. In the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews (n = 48) showed differences in how and why partners seek support with an initial consideration of the role of attachment. We identified the following themes: direct support-seeking, indirect support-seeking, (in)dependence, and gender dynamics. In the quantitative study (n = 588), high COVID-19 worry, high attachment anxiety, and low attachment avoidance were associated with more support-seeking. Interestingly, we also found that when COVID-19 worry was high, individuals high in attachment avoidance were more likely to report seeking support. The paper provides a unique insight into the impact of COVID-19 on support-seeking behaviors in romantic relationships.

Navigating Uncertainty in Clinical Practice: A Structured Approach.

The practice of clinical medicine is imbued with uncertainty. The ways in which clinicians and patients think about, communicate about, and act within situations of heightened uncertainty can have significant implications for the therapeutic alliance and for the trajectory and outcomes of clinical care. Despite this, there is limited guidance about the best methods for physicians to recognize, acknowledge, communicate about, and manage uncertainty in clinical settings. In this paper, we propose a structured approach for discussing and managing uncertainty within the context of a clinician-patient relationship. The approach involves four steps: Recognize, Acknowledge, Partner, and Seek Support (i.e., the RAPS framework). The approach is guided by existing literature on uncertainty as well as our own experience as clinicians working at different stages of career. We define each component of the approach and present sample language and actions for how to implement it in practice. Our aim is to empower clinicians to regard situations of high uncertainty as an opportunity to deepen the therapeutic alliance with the patient, and simultaneously to grow and learn as practitioners.

Strategies to support midlife women to reduce their alcohol consumption: an Australian study using human-centred design.

Alcohol consumption is causally associated with long-term health-related consequences, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, and short-term harms, such as accidents and injuries. Alcohol consumption has increased among midlife women (aged 40-65) over the last two decades in high-income countries. This study aimed to centre women's voices by using co-design methodologies to investigate what women identify as strategies that could assist them and other women their age to reduce their alcohol consumption. Human-centred design workshops were undertaken with 39 women, and conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyse information from written workshop materials to develop categories in the data and count their occurrence. Six categories, or strategies, emerged, listed here from most to least represented: 'Participate in alternative activities to drinking alcohol', 'Track alcohol consumption and set goals', 'Seek support from family and friends', 'Drink alcohol-free beverages', 'Reduce supply of alcohol in the home' and 'Seek professional support'. Our findings identify strategies that are realistic and feasible to midlife women; our sample, however, likely reflects a more affluent subsection of this group, and as such, any focus on individual-level strategies must be complemented by policies that increase equitable access to healthcare and act on the social and commercial determinants of health. An intersectional approach to alcohol and other drug research is required to examine how the interplay of gender and other markers of social identities shape alcohol consumption.

Stigma and Supportive Communication in the Context of Mental or Emotional Distress: An Extension of the Paradox of Support Seeking in Close Relationships

Supportive communication can benefit people coping with the stigma that often accompanies mental or emotional distress; however, people might be reluctant to seek support effectively, if at all, for these types of stressors. Guided by the paradox of support seeking, this study expands understanding of how and why people seek support by examining multiple dimensions of stigma, exploring factors that hinder or facilitate people’s decision to seek support, and investigating nuanced support seeking behaviors in the context of mental or emotional distress. Results ( N = 406) revealed that internalization and visibility of stigma differentially impacted strategies people chose to seek support. Whereas visibility corresponded with direct seeking and more emotional content, internalized stigma was associated with avoidance. Perceived costs served as barriers to seeking support, and efficacy buffered against the negative consequences of stigma by encouraging direct seeking and allowing for greater depth and emotional content when seeking support.

Modification and Psychometric Analyses of Stress and Coping Scales for the Extended Postpartum Period

ObjectiveTo modify and psychometrically assess two scales that are used to measure stress and coping during the extended postpartum period. DesignInstrument modification and psychometric assessment. SettingOnline, community, and health care settings. ParticipantsMothers with infants who were 2 to 22 months old: 20 in Phase 1 and 373 in Phase 2. MethodsIn Phase 1, participants from diverse backgrounds served as content experts to recommend modifications of items on two scales: Sources of Stress–Revised (SoS-R) and Postpartum Coping Scale (PCS). The results were 32-item modified versions of each scale. In Phase 2, we conducted a psychometric analysis of both revised scales using principal components analysis to identify dimensionality, Cronbach’s alphas to estimate internal consistency reliability, and Pearson correlations to estimate validity of the SoS-R and PCS with the Perceived Stress Scale and the Brief COPE, respectively. ResultsWe identified six components for the SoS-R: Overload, Changes After Pregnancy, Baby-Related Concerns, Working Mother Concerns, Low Support Resources, and Isolated Motherhood. The Cronbach’s alpha for the SoS-R was .94. The SoS-R subscales demonstrated correlations with the Perceived Stress Scale that ranged from 0.55 to 0.30. We identified six components for the PCS: Self-Regulation, Spiritual Care, Self-Care, Use and Seek Support, Internal and External Resources, and Health Promotion. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the PCS ranged from .84 to .66. The highest correlations observed between the PCS subscales and the Brief COPE subscales ranged from 0.67 to 0.26. ConclusionThe SoS-R and PCS each include six components. Internal consistency reliability for all SoS-R subscales and four of six PCS subscales exceeded .70. The dimensions of each scale highlight areas of clinical and research concern.

UK midwives' perceptions and experiences of using Facebook to provide perinatal support: Results of an exploratory online survey.

Seeking support from Facebook groups during pregnancy is now widespread and social media has been widely used by the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) maternity services to communicate with service users during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, little is currently known about midwives' attitudes towards, and experiences of social media in practice. Research is needed to understand barriers and solutions to meeting mothers' expectations of online support and to improve services. This study explored midwife involvement in Facebook groups, exploring experiences and perceptions of its use to communicate with and support mothers. An online survey consisting of open and closed questions was completed by 719 midwives and student during August- September 2020. Quantitative questionnaire data was analysed descriptively using SPSS v26. Qualitative data gathered from free text responses was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Few participants were involved in providing Facebook support, and most of these were unpaid. There was a consensus on a range of benefits for mothers, but widespread concern that engaging with mothers online was a personal and professional risk, underpinned by a lack of support. Experience of being involved in midwife moderation increased belief in its benefits and reduced fear of engaging online, despite a lack of renumeration and resources. Midwives and students felt they were discouraged from offering Facebook support and sought further training, guidance and support. Although limited, experiences of providing Facebook group support are positive. Perceptions of risk and a lack of support are significant barriers to midwives' involvement in using Facebook groups to support mothers. Midwives seek support and training to safely and effectively engage with mothers using Facebook. Engaging with mothers via social media is embedded in UK national policy and NHS digital strategy, and progress is needed to fulfil these, to improve services and meet mothers' expectations. Midwives' experiences suggest extending opportunities to provide Facebook support would benefit midwives, services and families. Consultation to revise local policy to support midwives and students in line with strategic goals is recommended.

The impact of family social support on postpartum quality of life among Iranian women: structural equation modelling.

To assess the impact of family social support (FSS) on postpartum quality of life (PQOL). This analytical cross-sectional study enrolled postpartum women and asked them to complete the PQOL and FSS questionnaire (FSSQ) between October 2021 and February 2022 in three urban health centres in Shiraz, Iran. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis and multiple regression were used to determine the relationship between the FSS and PQOL variables. Structural equation modelling was used to determine the relationship pathways of the impact of FSS on PQOL. A total of 240 women were enrolled in the study. The mean ± SD scores of PQOL and FSSQ were 61.63 ± 9.59 and 69.80 ± 11.19, respectively. Family support seeking (7.95) and emotional support seeking (-6.80) were two factors affecting PQOL. Women should be empowered to seek support through education and actions from health workers, especially nurses and midwives, during routine regular prenatal care.

Comfort in seeking support from sexual violence prevention education health services among college women

Objective: Explores racial differences of sexual violence-(SV) health service-(HS) outcomes among college women: (1) seeking support from a confidential-resource-(CR) and (2) reporting SV to the Title IX office. Participants: Data was collected from all ages of women (N = 583) and grade levels from one-large university on the Pacific-coast. Methods: Logistic-regression of HS outcomes were performed using the Fall 2016 American College Health Association-NCHA-II-survey. Results: The following variables increased the likelihood of women seeking support from the two health-services: (#1CR) relationship-status, race, and experiencing sexual-violence. WOC were 7x more likely to seek support if physically-assaulted, and WW were 3.9x more likely to seek support if a graduate student. (#2Title IX) year in school, physical-assault, and receiving prevention-education after the first-year in college. Overall, there were significant differences by race in the variables that influenced WW and WOC’s comfort or likelihood to seek support. Conclusion: Colleges need to consider the disproportionate impact of SV on WOC.

Meeting the Unmet Needs of Individuals With Mental Disorders: Scoping Review on Peer-to-Peer Web-Based Interactions.

An increasing number of online support groups are providing advice and information on topics related to mental health. This study aimed to investigate the needs that internet users meet through peer-to-peer interactions. A search of 4 databases was performed until August 15, 2022. Qualitative or mixed methods (ie, qualitative and quantitative) studies investigating interactions among internet users with mental disorders were included. The φ coefficient was used and machine learning techniques were applied to investigate the associations between the type of mental disorders and web-based interactions linked to seeking help or support. Of the 13,098 identified records, 44 studies (analyzed in 54 study-disorder pairs) that assessed 82,091 users and 293,103 posts were included. The most frequent interactions were noted for people with eating disorders (14/54, 26%), depression (12/54, 22%), and psychoactive substance use disorders (9/54, 17%). We grouped interactions between users into 42 codes, with the empathy or compassion code being the most common (41/54, 76%). The most frequently coexisting codes were request for information and network (35 times; φ=0.5; P<.001). The algorithms that provided the best accuracy in classifying disorders by interactions were decision trees (44/54, 81%) and logistic regression (40/54, 74%). The included studies were of moderate quality. People with mental disorders mostly use the internet to seek support, find answers to their questions, and chat. The results of this analysis should be interpreted as a proof of concept. More data on web-based interactions among these people might help apply machine learning methods to develop a tool that might facilitate screening or even support mental health assessment.

Support‐seeking by cancer caregivers living in rural Australia

ObjectiveRural cancer caregivers report poor wellbeing and high unmet needs for support. This study investigates sources of support sought by cancer caregivers living in rural Australia, and factors associated with support‐seeking. MethodsInformal caregivers of people with cancer completed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, caregiver factors and support‐seeking. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses and logistic regression were used to identify common sources of support and factors associated with support‐seeking. Alluvial and radar plots were used to identify and describe support‐seeking profiles. FindingsOf 244 rural caregivers, 64% reported seeking support for themselves, 72% for the cancer patient, and 22% did not seek any support. The most common sources of support were general practitioners and online. Higher caregiver burden, higher income, caring for someone with anxiety/depression or caring for someone who has difficulty completing their usual activities were associated with seeking support from a greater number of sources. The ‘No support‐seekers’ profile had the highest proportions of caregivers who were male, caring for someone <12 months post‐diagnosis and lower income earners. ConclusionsMany rural caregivers seek support for themselves and the cancer patient, commonly from medical and online sources. Implications for public healthFurther work may be needed to reduce caregiver burden and support caregivers who are male, caring for someone recently diagnosed, and those with lower incomes.

Practical advice for refugees aspiring to become registered nurses in Australia.

This paper describes practical advice for refugees aspiring to become Registered Nurses (RNs) in Australia. Qualitative description using a naturalistic inquiry framework. Between February 2018 and September 2019, the lead author conducted semi-structured interviews with employed RNs that are former refugees that speak English. Interviews were 45-90min in duration and digitally recorded. Participants provided voluntary informed consent and were sent questions beforehand. All transcription data were thematically analysed for key themes until no further themes were identified. This paper covers practical advice provided by the participants at the conclusion of their interviews. Twelve participants provided practical advice. Six themes were identified: (1) Find your purpose and set goals; (2) Work hard and never give up; (3) Seek support; (4) Capitalize on opportunities; (5) Be optimistic; (6) Give back. The last theme, give back, was salient across all interviews and was an inherent motivator for some participants once their RN status was achieved. Each participant set the goal of becoming a fully registered nurse and made it a life goal that provided meaning for them. Despite their experiences, the participants provided practical advice that could guide younger people aspiring to become successfully qualified RNs. The findings in this study are unique as they are derived from people with experiences as refugees who, despite their adversity, became RNs. The practical advice provides a framework not only for younger people from refugee backgrounds seeking to achieve their professional goals, but others looking to succeed in other workforce sectors. The practical advice for success will be useful in informing nursing authorities, tertiary institutions and private and public health organizations to develop effective approaches to guide the next generation of would-be RNs set to contribute to nursing practice in Australia. There were no patient or public contributions as the focus was the personal and professional lives of nurses with refugee backgrounds.

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

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.

The Influence of Stigma and Trust in Young People Seeking Support for Their Own or a Friend’s Symptoms: The Role of Threat Appraisals

BackgroundStigma and trust influence how adolescents seek support for mental illness, though it is unclear how these influence their decisions to approach a range of potential sources of support. Moreover, even less is known about the ways in which these issues are related when a friend discloses symptoms of mental illness.ObjectiveThe study’s aims were to understand the role of stigma, trust, and threat appraisals in adolescents’ support seeking when exposed to their own, or to a friend’s, symptoms of mental illness.MethodA vignette-based study comparing reports of support (friends, parents, teachers, professionals, and online) was completed with reference to either (i) experiencing symptoms of mental illness or (ii) having a friend disclose these types of symptoms. Two hundred and fifty adolescents (M = 12.75 years) answered questions pertaining to stigma (public and self), trust levels, threat appraisals, and support seeking.ResultsWhen dealing with their own symptoms, threat accounted for 4.8 and 2.5% of the variance when seeking support from parents and professionals, respectively. Self-stigma accounted for 2.4% of variance when seeking support from parents and 0.8% of variance when seeking support from professionals. Trust moderated the association between threat and the use of online support. When responding to a friend’s disclosure, higher levels of public-stigma were associated with lower support seeking from friends, parents, and professionals.ConclusionsThis study showed a distinction in how adolescents deal with their own or a friend’s symptoms of mental illness, and what resources they choose to ask for support from. Self-stigma, threat, and trust levels were particularly relevant when experiencing their own symptoms, while dealing with a friend’s disclosure was related to levels of public-stigma.

Navigating Transfer Through Networks: How Community College Students Seek Support From Social Ties Throughout the Transfer Process

Student networks play important roles in navigating vertical transfer. This article takes a qualitative approach to ego-network analysis to explore how transfer-intending community college students leverage networks during the transfer process. We use longitudinal data to analyze both the composition of student networks over time and the types of support students seek from network actors to achieve their transfer goals. We found that the size and composition of student networks changed over time, depending on where the students were in the transfer process, and that their perceptions of trust and expertise further influenced to whom they turned for support, and for which types of support they sought. Our findings have implications for practitioners who work to strengthen transfer student support, both pre-and post-transfer services.

Why do doctors seek peer support? A qualitative interview study

ObjectivesTo understand how doctors reflect on when and why they seek help from an organised peer-support service.DesignData were collected through audiotaped, qualitative, semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed with systematic...

Profile of Mothers of Children with a Disability Who Seek Support for Mental Health and Wellbeing.

This paper investigated the characteristics of mothers of children with a disability who registered for a mental health and wellbeing workshop. The questionnaire measured mental health, health-related behaviours, empowerment, family cohesion, wellbeing and child-related variables. Regression analysis identified factors associated with depressive symptoms and positive wellbeing. Fifty-seven percent of participants (N = 171) had depressive symptoms within the clinical range. Higher symptoms were associated with reduced: empowerment (r = - .39, p < .01); positive-wellbeing (r = - .66, p < .05); and healthy activity (r = - .41, p < .001). Low positive wellbeing (β = .55, p < .001) was the strongest predictor of depressive symptoms. Family cohesion (β = .25, p < .001), was the strongest predictor of positive-wellbeing. Future health and wellbeing interventions that support mothers with high care responsibilities should include psycho-education and strategies to address healthy maternal and family-related behaviour changes.

Cancer‐related help‐seeking in cancer survivors living in regional and remote Australia

To measure rates of detection via screening, perceived self-imposed delays in seeking medical attention, and support seeking in a sample of regional and remote people with a cancer diagnosis and to test whether an association exists between these behaviours and minimising problems and resignation, a need for self-control and reliance and fatalism. Correlations and binary logistic regressions were conducted to test the associations between demographic characteristics, attitudes and behaviours. Females were more likely to have had their cancer detected via screening (OR=10.02, CI=3.49-28.78). Younger participants (r=-0.103, p=0.009) were slightly more likely to seek at least one form of support and online support was sought more often by younger patients (r=-0.269, p<0.001), females (r=0.152, p<0.001), those from higher socio-economic (SES) areas (r=0.100, p=0.012), and those with higher education levels (r=0.247, p<0.001). Younger (r=-0.161, p<0.001), and female (r=0.82, p=0.013), participants were also slightly more likely to seek support specifically through cancer support groups. No significant relationships between minimising problems and resignation, needs for control and self-reliance or fatalism and detection via screening, support seeking, or perceived self-imposed delays to seeking medical attention were apparent, with the exception that those with higher fatalism (predetermined health) were slightly less likely to report seeking support or information online (OR=0.79, CI=0.65-0.95) and slightly more likely to report using Cancer Council's support services (OR=1.24, CI=1.02-1.52). Strategies to improve the accessibility and appropriateness of support available for regional and remote cancer patients should consider interventions that remove barriers to access associated with age, gender, and education as opposed to those which address the attitudinal traits measured here.

Health self-management experiences of colorectal cancer patients in postoperative recovery: A qualitative study.

Health self-management helps improve health-related quality of life and life satisfaction, as well as cancer survival. The study aim was to explore the essence of the health self-management experiences and support needs of colorectal cancer patients after surgeries. The study was based on phenomenology research methodology. Purposive sampling was used to obtain a heterogeneous sample to provide rich information regarding the research questions. Participants were recruited from colorectal surgery outpatient clinics in a hospital in Taiwan. Data were collected by semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed by thematic content analysis. Strategies adapted from Lincoln and Guba were used to enhance the trustworthiness of the study. Ten participants, 5 males and 5 females, were interviewed. Their health self-management experience fell into 3 overarching themes and 9 related subthemes. Our results show that (1) seeking support when experiencing discomfort, (2) when life changes, re-adjust accordingly, and (3) staying positive and self-perseverance are the essences of the health self-management experiences and support needs of postoperative colorectal cancer patients. Postoperative colorectal cancer patients experienced tremendous physical and psychosocial challenges after returning home from the hospital. Although burdened with multiple stressors, these patients were able to seek support, learning to practice self-care, facing cancer positively, and exhibit positive growth in life. Patients with colorectal cancer have to constantly adjust to the impacts of their diseases. The study results may provide as a reference for supporting postoperative adjustment and promoting health self-management among patients with colorectal cancer.

A green social work perspective on social work during the time of COVID-19.

COVID‐19 has challenged social workers to engage with health pandemics and provide essential services in conditions of uncertainty and high risk. They have safeguarded children, older adults and diverse adults in ‘at risk’ groups under tough conditions mediated by digital technologies, adhered to government injunctions, maintained social and physical distancing under lockdown and worked from home remotely. Social workers and social care workers have risen to the challenges, providing services with inadequate personal protective equipment and limited supervision and support. This article highlights the degraded physical environments, socio‐economic and political contexts that intensify precariousness and constraints that neoliberalism imposed on professional capacity before and during this health pandemic. It provides guidelines to protect practitioners and service users. It concludes that practitioners ought to understand zoonotic diseases, environmental concerns, acquire disaster expertise and training, widen their practice portfolio and value their contributions to this pandemic.Key Practitioner Message: • Develop technological skills and innovate to support stressed individuals, safeguard children, adolescents and elders and deal with poverty and unemployment; • Use digital technologies involving peers to explore tricky situations, examine ethical dilemmas through scenario building exercises, and tips for self‐care; • Contribute to environmental protections that prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID‐19; • Seek supervision and support for disaster‐based training from your line manager.