Gender Related Social Support and Coping Patterns In Online Cancer Support Forums

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: This study explored the manner in which men and women construct their gender online in terms of offered social support and individualized coping.  Knowledge in this area will assist in understanding the greater area of the construction of self in online communities.  For clinicians, this study will help clarify the preferred communication patterns exhibited by men and women and help to guide promotional efforts for both online and in vivo support groups for cancer.

Methods: Qualitative coding of 499 posts on three online cancer discussion forums was based on directed approach content analysis.  Coded posts were utilized in quantitative hypothesis testing of gender-cancer diagnosis interactions.  

Results: The results indicate that in mixed-gender online cancer forums, a shift toward more feminine discourse styles occurs, while on single gendered forums women tend to adopt an affliative stance and men an informational stance.

Conclusions: Men and women construct their gender online similarly to how they do in vivo. The presence of women changes communication styles toward that which is more "feminine" in nature. Men and women also have different experiences in this medium.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Practitioners may experience more sucessful encounters with patients in hectic hospital environments if they employ particular approach styles that match patients' own constructed gender. Additionally, understanding what patients encounter in the virtual world may assist practitioners to fill in knowledge or support gaps in the patients' experiences.