Academic Journal
Motivation to join and supportive activity within online health communities among patients with persistent pain: A survey-based examination.
| Τίτλος: | Motivation to join and supportive activity within online health communities among patients with persistent pain: A survey-based examination. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Boda K; Department of Behavioural Sciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, H-7624, Szigeti str. 12, Hungary. Electronic address: boda.kamilla@pte.hu., Almási R; Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Pécs, H-7624, Ifjúság str. 13, Hungary. Electronic address: almasi.robert@pte.hu., Bíró D; Doctoral School of Clinical Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged H-6725, Dugonics sqr. 13, Hungary., Csathó Á; Department of Behavioural Sciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, H-7624, Szigeti str. 12, Hungary; Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, H-7624, Ifjúság str. 20, Hungary. Electronic address: arpad.csatho@aok.pte.hu. |
| Πηγή: | Acta psychologica [Acta Psychol (Amst)] 2026 Aug; Vol. 268, pp. 107291. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 18. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: North Holland Publishing Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0370366 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-6297 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00016918 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Acta Psychol (Amst) Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Amsterdam : North Holland Publishing Original Publication: The Hague. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Motivation*/physiology , Catastrophization*/psychology , Chronic Pain*/psychology , Social Support*, Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Surveys and Questionnaires |
| Περίληψη: | Online Health Communities (OHCs) are key platforms for people seeking medical information and social support. Individuals with persistent pain often use these communities to better understand their condition, share experiences, and receive emotional or informational help, yet the psychological and social factors shaping participation remain underexplored. This study examined motivations for joining OHCs and levels of supportive activity, focusing on pain catastrophizing, offline social support, emotional attitudes towards pain, and unpredictability schemas. A survey was completed by 253 female members from four disease-specific OHCs (spinal hernia, endometriosis, migraine, autoimmune diseases). Measures assessed informational and emotional motivation, pain-related affective factors, perceived social support, and unpredictability schemas. Analyses included Wilcoxon tests, regression models, and latent profile analysis (LPA). Informational motivation was the primary reason for joining, with participants mainly using OHCs for knowledge exchange rather than emotional support. However, higher pain catastrophizing, lower perceived social support, and stronger unpredictability schemas were associated with greater emotional motivation. These factors predicted motivations more strongly than actual activity within the communities. The LPA identified two profiles: one characterized by high emotional motivation, elevated catastrophizing, and low social support, and another marked by lower emotional motivation, stronger support, and weaker unpredictability schemas. Overall, the findings highlight the dual function of OHCs. While most participants join mainly for information, women with persistent pain experiencing greater psychological distress and limited social networks rely more on OHCs for emotional support. Recognizing these patterns may help improve the design and facilitation of OHCs to better address diverse patient needs. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Fear of pain; Online Health Communities; Pain catastrophizing; Social support; Unpredictability schema |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260618 Date Completed: 20260724 Latest Revision: 20260724 |
| Update Code: | 20260724 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107291 |
| PMID: | 42314458 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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