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Managing Stigma: Disclosure-Response Communication Patterns in Pro-Anorexic Websites
Pamara F Chang1, Natalya N Bazarova1
1a Department of Communication , Cornell University.
Health Communication
|August 13, 2015
Summary
Pro-anorexia websites act as negative enabling support groups, undermining recovery by validating harmful views. Analysis reveals disclosures trigger negative responses, escalating stigma and hindering healing for individuals with anorexia.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Communication Studies
- Sociology
Background:
- Pro-anorexia websites offer a platform for individuals with anorexia.
- These sites may function as "online negative enabling support groups," hindering recovery.
- They validate pro-anorexic views, encouraging harmful behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the communicative mechanisms of online negative enabling support.
- To analyze disclosure-response sequences and language changes within interactions.
- To understand the role of responses in eliciting changes in disclosers' language.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 22,811 messages from 5,590 conversations on a Pro-Ana forum.
- Linguistic analysis of disclosure-response sequences.
- Examination of language shifts in initial disclosers during interaction.
Main Results:
- Disclosures with stigma-related emotion, anorexia-specific, and sociorelational content receive negatively valenced responses.
- While some catharsis occurs, disclosers increase stigma-related emotion words after negative responses.
- This indicates a cycle of stigma escalation.
Conclusions:
- Online negative enabling support validates pro-anorexic identity.
- Disclosure-response exchanges escalate stigma, undermining recovery efforts.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for intervention.
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