Description | Joining an online social support group may increase perceived membership to a community,
but it does not guarantee that the community will be available when it is needed. This is especially
relevant for adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), many of whom reside in
rural regions and continually negotiate their illness identity. Drawing from social support literature
and communication theory of identity, this cross-sectional study explored how COPD illness and
geographic identities interact to influence patients’ perceived availability of online social support.
In April 2018, 575 adults with a history of respiratory symptoms completed an online survey. Patients
with a COPD diagnosis reported greater availability of online support. This was partially mediated
by a positive degree of COPD illness identity (i.e., being diagnosed with COPD, a history of tobacco
use, severe respiratory symptoms, high disease knowledge, and low income but high education).
The relationship between COPD illness identity and the availability of online support was strongest
among those with low rural identity; however, at lower levels of COPD illness identity, participants
with high rural identity reported the greatest degree of available online support. Results have
important implications for tailored education approaches across the COPD care continuum by illness
and geographic identities. | en_US |