Health information seeking (HIS) and emotional support seeking (ESS) for medical conditions are widespread, self-guided online activities that happen concurrently on social health websites. Appraisal and coping theory suggests that these activities may be caused by negative emotions that users experience. In this thesis, I examine three key negative emotions - fear, anxiety, and shame - for their potential impact on HIS and ESS. Through an online survey of 518 people, I found that only anxiety positively predicted HIS. In contrast, fear and anxiety both positively predicted ESS, while shame negatively predicted ESS. These findings result in important implications for social health websites. For example, my results suggest that people experiencing fear seek solace more than information, and they may benefit especially from receiving emotionally supportive comments about their medical condition.
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