Factors influencing engagement in an online support group for family caregivers of individuals with advanced cancer.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Washington KT
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7467207 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May-Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Factors influencing engagement in an online support group for family caregivers of individuals with advanced cancer.
Washington Karla T KT Oliver Debra Parker DP Benson Jacquelyn J JJ Rolbiecki Abigail J AJ Jorgensen Lucas A LA Cruz-Oliver Dulce M DM Demiris George G
Journal of psychosocial oncology 20191106 3
<b>Objective:</b> To explore factors that influenced engagement in an online support group (OSG) for family caregivers of hospice patients with cancer.<b>Design:</b> Secondary qualitative data analysis.<b>Sample:</b> 58 family caregivers of hospice patients with advanced cancer.<b>Methods:</b> Template analysis of individual family caregiver interviews.<b>Findings:</b> Emotional isolation and caregiving downtime positively influenced engagement, while reluctance to share personal information, a ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundCaregiving can affect people of all ages and can have significant negative health impacts on family caregivers themselves. Research has shown that social support acts as a buffer against many negative health impacts. A common source of social support is support groups. Although traditionally, these groups were conducted in a face-to-face setting, the advent of the internet, social media applications, and the smartphone have seen online support groups (OSGs) develop as a space where many caregivers seek support. The number of OSGs has increased exponentially, but there is no clear consensus on what factors or characteristics of OSGs contribute to social support development within them or what types of OSGs are available to family caregivers.ObjectiveThis study aimed to conduct a scoping review to contribute to the understanding of the types and characteristics of OSGs for family caregivers.MethodsFollowing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, the CINAHL, PsychInfo, Psych Articles, Social Sciences, Communication Source, Medline, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies (caregiver focused, adults aged 18 years or older, online social support groups, caring for a living person, peer-reviewed journal publications on empirical research). In total, 19 studies were included in the review. The research questions were (1) what type of social support groups are online for adult family caregivers, (2) what the communication mediums and characteristics of these OSGs are, and (3) what psychosocial or other factors make OSGs successful or unsuccessful for participants.ResultsIn response to the first research question, we found that the majority of OSGs took place on public text-based forums and were illness specific. Where demographics were reported, participants were predominately women, White, and working with university-level education. There were a variety of caregiving relationships. For the second research question, the most common communication medium found was text-based communication, with the use of emojis, photos, and GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) files as part of these exchanges. Most frequently, the OSGs were asynchronous with a degree of anonymity, not time-limited by the frequency of contact or duration, and moderated by peer or professional moderators or facilitators. Results for the third research question explored the overarching categories of safe communication and engagement and group management. These described successful OSGs as having a focus on similar others with shared lived experiences communicated in a nonjudgmental space overseen by trained peer or professional facilitators.ConclusionsThere are several key considerations for OSGs to be successful for family caregivers. A general recommendation for practitioners is to give importance to building active moderation and multifaceted structures of support to meet different levels of caregiver needs and the ability to engage.
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Project description:Digital technology is reshaping the landscape of higher education, especially in the field of computer science. As digital platforms become central to the learning process, understanding student engagement in these continuously evolving environments is increasingly vital. This study explores the current state of online learning among undergraduate computer science students, investigates factors influencing their engagement, and proposes strategies to enhance online education. The research framework is grounded in the TPACK model, behaviorist learning theory, learning engagement theory, and situated cognition learning theory, encompassing student characteristics, multidimensional online learning engagement, and key influencing factors. Data on participants' basic attributes, levels of engagement, and the major determinants of these engagement levels were collected via a questionnaire survey. Analyses using SPSS 25.0-employing t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation-revealed significant trends and relationships. Findings show a notable positive correlation between the duration of online learning and overall engagement, whereas gender, home location, and academic major exerted relatively limited influence. Subjective intention, attitude, and motivation emerged as crucial determinants, and interactions with instructors and Peers-reinforced by teaching approaches and feedback-played an essential role in fostering emotional involvement. Building on these insights, the study recommends initiatives to strengthen self-motivation, nurture meaningful online interactions, enhance technical support systems, and reinforce mechanisms for assessing learning outcomes. This work provides empirical evidence for a deeper understanding of online education while indicating directions for ongoing improvement.
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Project description:The health literacy level of caregivers for cancer patients can significantly impact the well-being of the patients. There is a notable scarcity of research on this topic in mainland China, and none in Macao's diverse healthcare cultural city. This study aimed to evaluate the health literacy of family caregivers tending to cancer patients undergoing treatment in Macao, identify key influencing factors, and promote community awareness to better support these caregivers' needs. This cross-sectional study utilised a self-designed demographic questionnaire alongside the Health Literacy of Caregivers Scale-Cancer (HLCS-C, Chinese version) to gather insights from 376 family caregivers at Macao's sole public hospital. This study uncovered that the health literacy scores of Macao's family caregivers averaged at a moderate level (138.18 ± 14.64), with the category of "proactive communication with healthcare professionals" achieving the highest score at 3.65 ± 0.61, while 'thorough understanding of cancer and cancer management information' received the lowest score at 2.76 ± 0.47. Significant factors affecting health literacy levels encompass age, physical well-being, the relationship with the patients, and the channels employed to access health-related information. This study highlights the need to enhance support for Macao's caregivers through educational programmes covering caregiving techniques, health resource utilisation, and personal growth for improved health literacy and patient outcomes. This study revealed that married women aged 31 to 50 constituted the primary demographic responsible for the care of cancer patients. As a result, they represent the key target audience for any health literacy educational initiatives.
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