Providing and Seeking Support Online : Chinese Women with Gynecological Diseases

This paper focused on the experiences of Chinese women with gynecological diseases. Drawing from the literature on supportive communication and supporting seeking strategies, this study investigated how Chinese women with gynecological diseases provide and seek support in a Chinese online social support group called Fight against Gynecological Diseases. From a qualitative content analysis, it was revealed that Chinese women used the online group to circumvent the social taboo surrounding gynecological diseases. The online discussion group was used by women primarily to seek support. In seeking support, Chinese women directly sought out support rather than indirectly soliciting support. Among various types of support, they mainly asked for advice and emotional support. These findings reaffirm the value of online discussion groups for patients and their caregivers, especially for those who experience difficulty in receiving or seeking support elsewhere. The results also call for better facilitation of supportive communication in online discussion groups.