Stressors Disclosed on Reddit by Caregivers of Older Adults and Social Support Received: Content Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Informal caregiving of an older adult can be a stressful experience. Anonymous online communities, such as Reddit, provide caregivers with an avenue to disclose their stressors and seek support. However, how caregivers disclose their stressors and the effectiveness of these disclosures in eliciting desired social support remain unclear.

Objective

Guided by the stress process model and optimal matching theory, this study examined stressors disclosed by informal caregivers on Reddit and the types of social support they received in response.

Methods

We conducted a quantitative content analysis of posts and comments in 3 subreddits for informal caregivers of older adults. We identified specific stressors disclosed in the posts, analyzed their co-occurrence, and

SUBMITTER: Huang NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12449668 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature