Strategic Withdrawal as Empowerment for Individuals With Depression in Internet Support Groups: Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Mental Health
• Digital Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Internet support groups (ISGs) offer accessible peer support for depression but have high withdrawal rates.
• Existing research prioritizes retention, leaving withdrawal mechanisms underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how individuals with depression utilize withdrawal from ISGs as an empowerment strategy.
• To clarify the roles of autonomy, courage, and responsibility in the withdrawal process.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study with 19 participants (18 former ISG members with depression, 1 counselor).
• Semistructured interviews conducted via major Chinese social media platform.
• Hybrid deductive-inductive analysis, incorporating grounded theory and rigor-enhancing techniques.

Main Results:

• Withdrawal from ISGs is a multidimensional empowerment process, not a single act.
• Autonomy, courage, and responsibility are key dimensions, unfolding in an interwoven manner.
• Participants reassessed expectations, judged recovery by own standards, set boundaries, and prioritized self-management.

Conclusions:

• Strategic withdrawal from ISGs can be an empowering outcome for individuals with depression.
• Empowerment is achieved through autonomy, courage, and responsibility in disconnecting and self-management.
• Mental health professionals and platforms should support strategic withdrawal as a positive and legitimate choice.