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Use of the internet as the only outlet for talking about infertility
Yakov M Epstein1, Helane S Rosenberg, Theresa Venet Grant
1Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education, Piscataway, New Jersey 08855, USA. yepstein@rci.rutgers.edu
Objective:
To gather information about demographic characteristics, medical status, mode of Internet participation, and psychological well-being of participants whose only outlets (OOs) for talking about infertility are Internet medical and support forums and to compare them with persons who have additional outlets (AOs).
Design:
Prospective Internet-based survey.
Setting:
Website of a nonprofit international infertility organization.
Patient(S):
Five hundred eighty-nine persons submitting fully completed surveys.
Intervention(S):
Internet-based survey with 134 items.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Survey of types of Internet participation, benefits of participation, self-assessed ability to cope with aspects of infertility, perceived stress, perceived support from relatives and friends, and 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which is an instrument designed to measure depressive symptomatology.
Result(S):
Only-outlet and AO participants were comparable in their medical history and treatments. Only-outlet participants had less formal education, were less wealthy, and more likely to be homemakers. Compared with AO participants, OO participants were more depressed and got less real-world support while feeling more supported on the Internet.
Conclusion(S):
Used properly, the Internet can help people facing infertility by educating, empowering, and diminishing their feelings of depression. But the Internet can also be used inappropriately to withdraw from real-world interactions.