Insights and Recommendations From Moderators and Community Members for Keeping Online Peer Support Safe: Thematic...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Online Communities
• Mental Well-being

Background:

• Online peer support aids individuals with chronic physical health conditions in managing mental well-being.
• Risks in web-based peer communities are known, but optimal moderation strategies, especially for new communities, require further understanding.
• Prior research has primarily focused on either moderator or community member experiences separately.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore perspectives of both members and moderators in a new online peer support community.
• To evaluate existing moderation procedures within the CommonGround community.
• To inform recommendations for best practices in online peer support moderation.

Main Methods:

• Interviews with 39 community members and a focus group with 5 moderators of the CommonGround online peer community.
• Exploration of member opinions on moderation policies and team behavior.
• Investigation of moderator experiences, challenges, and perceived benefits.
• Online data collection via audio recording and verbatim transcription, followed by inductive thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Effective moderation is crucial for creating safe, engaging online spaces and mitigating risks like medical misinformation.
• Both moderators and members found existing moderation policies appropriate.
• Moderators found balancing safety and free speech challenging, but a diverse clinical expertise within the team enhanced confidence and consistency.
• Self-moderation by members is desired for community flourishing, but requires further development of community culture and engagement.

Conclusions:

• Moderation is vital for safe and engaging online peer communities.
• Co-producing moderation practices with the target audience ensures alignment with community needs, including clear escalation pathways and transparent communication.
• Technological features supporting self-moderation and ensuring moderator support are critical for community maturation and well-being.