Are you a parent or caregiver of a child who has cancer? We are looking for help to study the use of social media support groups for parents of children with cancer. In this project, we will identify who is using social media support groups and who is not, how well they are working or not working to improve the mental health of caregivers, and ways they could be improved. If these groups are beneficial for caregivers, we would also like to consider how practitioners could guide caregivers to use these groups to meet their mental health needs.
| The study has three aims: (1) To examine the characteristics that are commonly associated with caregivers of children with cancer who do (or do not use) social media support groups; (2) To examine the association between participants in social media support groups and symptoms of mental health; and (3) To examine whether the alignment of support sought and received in the groups improve the association between support group use and mental health. As this study helps to identify those who do and do not use online support groups, this may allow practitioners to effectively target and refer these individuals to appropriate support groups. If the alignment between support sought and received is beneficial to mental health outcomes, clinicians could guide caregivers on how to effectively use support groups to meet their specific needs. Finally, it can also identify those who are not currently using social media support groups and consider if there are ways these groups can better serve this population. |
Eligibility
A caregiver with lived experience of having a child with cancer.
Time Commitment
Regarding participant recruitment, engagement starts as soon as possible and ends in December. If of interest, the patient partner can also contribute to data analysis and interpretation, and discuss successful avenues for knowledge translation. Over the next 1-2 years, the patient partner will meet with the research team 3-4 times for about 1 hour each meeting. This ranges from about 3-8 1-hour meetings over 2 years.
Compensation
Compensation will be provided.