Title: Development of a support group using a virtual space for cancer patients

Authors: Takashi Kusumi; Kanayo Ogura; Asako Miura

Addresses: Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Yoshidahonmachi, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan ' Faculty of Software and Information Science, Iwate Prefectural University, Iwate, Japan ' Department of Psychological Science, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan

Abstract: We report findings from a chat log analysis of a support group in which two to five patients and one or two facilitators chatted in a virtual space; weekly sessions lasted 1.5 hrs. each, and we followed them over five years. In the virtual space, participants were represented by avatars with emotional expressions. Chat messages were analysed with a text-mining tool, exploring whether positive emotion words (e.g., 'happy'), medicine-related words (e.g., 'symptoms'), and informational/emotional-support messages (giving and receiving) would increase over time. We found that frequency of positive emotion words increased in Years 1-3 and remained constant thereafter; medical-related words did not increase until Year 5. Support messages increased from Years 1 to 3. Analysis of messages indicated that the patients' and facilitators' conversational roles changed as a sense of community emerged. The virtual support group appeared to promote positive emotions, trust among members, and mutual supportive relationships within the group.

Keywords: cancer support groups; computer-mediated communication; CMC; avatars; multi-user dungeon; MUD; cancer patients; virtual space; emotional expressions; chat messages; text mining; facilitators; conversational roles; positive emotions; trust; mutually supportive relationships; online communities; web based communities; virtual communities; virtual support groups.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2014.065394

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2014 Vol.10 No.4, pp.445 - 465

Published online: 31 Oct 2014 *

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