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- Title
Unraveling the Cross-Cultural Differences in Online Expression of Social Anxiety in Online Support Communities.
- Authors
Li, Han; Xu, Ye
- Abstract
Individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder (SAD) are increasingly turning to online support communities for self-disclosure and social support. Despite the extensive body of research on online mental health discourses, the cultural nuances within SAD-related discussions remain underexplored. In this study, we examine the cultural differences in online expression of social anxiety by analyzing individuals' self-disclosure and support-seeking behaviors in social media posts. Using two-week data (n = 1,681) from two SAD support communities on the Reddit and Douban groups, we used both qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative semantic analysis to discern prevalent themes and linguistic attributes characterizing these online expressions. Our findings not only uncover common themes such as sharing personal experiences and seeking mutual validations in both communities but also identify their divergences, as Western users primarily sought advice and information in posts, whereas Chinese users were more inclined toward networking. Cultural variations in language use were evident, particularly in individuals' affect and their expression of personal and social concerns. Western users were more likely to convey negative emotions and delve into personal matters related to SAD, whereas Chinese users tended to grapple more with workplace anxieties. This study contributes to the cultural understanding of online mental health discourses and offers insights for crafting culturally sensitive interventions and supports for people with SAD.
- Subjects
SOCIAL media; QUALITATIVE research; DATA analysis; ETHNOLOGY research; HELP-seeking behavior; ONLINE social networks; COMMUNITIES; QUANTITATIVE research; MANN Whitney U Test; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; THEMATIC analysis; LINGUISTICS; LATENT semantic analysis; STATISTICS; SOCIAL support; DATA analysis software; COMPARATIVE studies; CULTURAL pluralism; SELF-disclosure; SOCIAL anxiety
- Publication
CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 2024, Vol 27, Issue 5, p328
- ISSN
2152-2715
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1089/cyber.2023.0539