Findings and Ethical Considerations From a Thematic Analysis of Threads Within Tinnitus Online Support Groups.

Conclusions: This study represents the 1st research into discussion forums in tinnitus online support groups. A nonintrusive (passive) analysis method was used, whereby messages comprising the dataset were retrieved without direct interaction with the discussion forum. Individuals and the community of tinnitus online support groups are deemed to be at low risk from potential harm in this study. Most tinnitus patients likely benefit from accessing online support groups, for example, they discover they are not alone, and they find new coping strategies. However, for those who are particularly vulnerable or prone to psychological stress, accessing these groups could be detrimental. PMID: 30452754 [PubMed - in process]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30452754?dopt=Abstract

Source: American Journal of Audiology - November 19, 2018 Category: Audiology Authors: Ainscough E, Smith SN, Greenwell K, Hoare DJ Tags: Am J Audiol Source Type: research