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Emotional expression and empathy in an online peer support platform
Ori Weisberg1, Shiri Daniels2, Eran Bar-Kalifa1
1Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Journal of Counseling Psychology
|November 2, 2023
Summary
Empathy in online mental health support is key. While empathic concern boosts positive emotions, cognitive empathy can increase negative ones, highlighting the nuanced role of supporter responses in peer groups.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Online Mental Health Support
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Online peer groups offer accessible mental health support, yet their effectiveness is debated.
- Understanding the role of supporter empathy is crucial for optimizing these platforms.
- Seeker emotions may influence supporter empathy, creating a dynamic interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different types of supporter empathy (empathic concern, personal distress, exploration, interpretation) regulate distress in online mental health support seekers.
- To explore the reciprocal relationship between seekers' emotional expressions and supporters' empathic responses.
- To analyze how supporter roles (peer vs. moderator) affect these dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 7,646 posts from the "Emotional First Aid (ERAN)" online peer support platform.
- Coding of supporter empathy (empathic concern, personal distress, exploration, interpretation) and seeker emotional expressions (soft negative, hard negative, positive).
- Application of cumulative mixed models to examine the predictive relationships between empathy and emotional regulation.
Main Results:
- Empathic concern positively predicted seekers' positive emotions.
- Cognitive empathy (exploration, interpretation) predicted increased negative emotions in seekers.
- Seekers' soft negative and positive emotions elicited greater supporter empathy, though positive emotions decreased cognitive empathy from supporters.
- Supporter role (peer vs. moderator) influenced the observed patterns.
Conclusions:
- Empathy is a critical factor in the effectiveness of online mental health support platforms.
- The type of empathy displayed significantly impacts seeker emotional outcomes, with empathic concern being beneficial and cognitive empathy potentially detrimental.
- Understanding the interplay between seeker emotions and supporter empathy is vital for designing more effective online peer support interventions.
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