DISCUSSING MENTAL HEALTH ONLINE : HOW CONTENT OF SUPPORT-SEEKING DISCLOSURE STRATEGIES INFLUENCES THE TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT OFFERED IN A DEPRESSION HELP SUBREDDIT

Social support research has found that individuals who experience symptoms of mentalillness might not receive the support they desire without some sort of support-seeking. This is important because individuals who receive more effective support are less likely to continue experiencing symptoms associated with mental illness compared to individuals who receive less effective support. Previous research has suggested that support-seeking strategies used by distressed individuals might influence the type and characteristics of social support offered. In order to test hypotheses and research questions related to a model about the disclosure and support-seeking processes, and the subsequent support provision process, the current study developed a content analysis coding protocol and applied it to initial posts and comments in an online depression help group. Initial posts were categorized into different types of content (e.g., self- harm, treatment, discussion, other) and support sought. Response comments to initial posts were categorized into different types (e.g., informational, emotional, esteem, tangible, network) and characteristics of social support (e.g., confirming, disconfirming, neutral), and the effect of support-seeking content and strategies on support offered was analyzed. Findings show that content of initial post messages influenced responses received in comments, which supported previous research demonstrating that support providers in both informal and formal systems often use neutral message characteristics that are neither confirming or disconfirming when they do not know effective strategies for responding to more serious mental health issues. Further, support offered matched support-seeking, as there were significant associations between the types of support sought in initial posts and the types of support offered via comments in response to those posts. Results extend research in disclosure as one type of support-seeking strategy and on the effect of different support-seeking strategies on the type of support offered in the context of discussing mental health online. This has theoretical implications for the support process and practical implications for responding to people who seek help for mental health issues.