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Abstract
In order to develop more effective ways of helping adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors cope with cancer-related uncertainty, it is important to understand how AYAs respond communicatively to each other's uncertainty. We designed this project to gain insight into the patterns of social support that occur in response to AYAs' expressions of uncertainty. We analyzed 510 responses to posts in an AYA-focused online discussion group. Eighty-two percent of messages responding to uncertainty contained informational support. Sixty-seven percent contained multiple types of support. Among medical, personal, and social sources of uncertainty, the most typical response tended to be a combination of informational support accompanied by emotional and/or esteem support. AYAs who express uncertainty in online support groups should be advised that their posts are likely to be met with information, such as advice and referrals, which may either facilitate or impede their uncertainty management goals.
Acknowledgements
The authors extend their sincere thanks to Drs. Sarah Arvey & Ruth Rechis at the LIVESTRONG Foundation for their support of this research.
Notes
[1] Per the convention of the United States' National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, we use the term “survivor” to describe anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer, including people who are still undergoing treatment.
[2] Tangible support, which gives practical help through offers of taking concrete, physical action on behalf of the original poster, was not analyzed in the present study, because online communities do not lend themselves well to those sorts of exchanges (Braithwaite et al., Citation1999; Coulson & Greenwood, Citation2011).