| الوصف: |
BACKGROUND Online peer-to-peer support is characterized by individuals with mental illnesses engaging in mutual connections through the internet, often on social media platforms and mental health forums, to share experiences, discuss health concerns, and ask for advice. Previous literature has demonstrated that online peer-to-peer support is especially beneficial for those who live in geographically remote locations or experience considerable social isolation in their day-to-day lives. Online support has been acutely relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period with marked population-level mental health concerns. OBJECTIVE This paper investigates the role of online peer-to-peer connections during the early months (January-April 2020) of the pandemic through the thematic analysis of mental health threads posted on the site mentalhealthforum.net. METHODS Content analysis followed a basic thematic approach to coding and was performed on the initial posts of n=4 moderator-pinned threads and n=100 of the subsequent most-viewed user-generated threads as of April 24th, 2020. RESULTS Overall, two key aspects of online peer-to-peer support were identified. Individuals (1) engaged in discussions about concerns related to symptoms or risk factors of mental illness and personal circumstances incidental to COVID-19, and (2) shared pandemic-related health advice, resources, and reassurance. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that online peer-to-peer support is a valuable resource to supplement other online behavioral health modalities during the pandemic. Moreover, systematic study and monitoring of online mental health forums can inform public health policies and population-level interventions. |