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PatchWorx: connecting unhealthy and disabled children in an online community
1Department of Language, Literature and Communication, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA. hillan.julie@marshfieldclinic.org
Insights
PatchWorx is a nonprofit online community helping ill and disabled youth develop coping skills. Through computer-mediated communication, children practice information seeking, problem-solving, and social support.
Area of Science:
- Health communication
- Online communities
- Pediatric health
Background:
- Young people with illness and disability face unique challenges.
- Developing effective coping mechanisms is crucial for their well-being.
- Online platforms can offer novel avenues for support and skill development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the PatchWorx online community.
- To explore how computer-mediated communication (CMC) within PatchWorx aids youth in developing coping skills.
- To highlight the potential of online communities for supporting pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive overview of the PatchWorx Web-based community.
- Analysis of the types of interactions facilitated by computer-mediated communication (CMC).
- Focus on skills practiced by young users: information seeking, problem-solving, and social support acquisition.
Main Results:
- PatchWorx provides a supportive online environment for youth with illness and disability.
- CMC on the platform enables children to actively seek information.
- The community facilitates problem-solving and proactive social support-seeking behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Online communities like PatchWorx can be valuable tools for empowering young people facing health challenges.
- Computer-mediated communication (CMC) fosters essential life skills for managing illness and disability.
- Web-based interventions show promise in enhancing the resilience and well-being of pediatric populations.
Abstract:
PatchWorx (PatchWorx, Inc., Menlo Park, CA) is a nonprofit Web-based community for young people facing illness and disability (http://www.patchworx.org). Teresa Middleton, founder and president of PatchWorx, Inc., believes the PatchWorx online community helps children develop the skills necessary for them to successfully cope with their illnesses. Through computer-mediated communication (CMC) via the PatchWorx Web site, children practice information seeking, problem solving and proactively finding social support.
