See the published version of this preprint at BMC Rheumatology.
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Research article
Mary A De Vera
University of British Columbia Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2205-2683
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Online forums, where individuals ask questions, discuss opinions and share experiences provide a valuable pool of publicly available data to better understand impacts of disease and associated complications. Our objective was to systematically search and analyze threads on the social news website, Reddit, to understand experiences of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding their mental health.
Methods
We conducted a patient-oriented descriptive qualitative study. We identified threads from two subreddits, “r/Thritis” and “r/Rheumatoid”, using keywords such as “mood”, “mental health”, “stressed”, “depressed”, “anxious” over a 1-year period between June 2018 and June 2019. For included threads, we extracted the title, original post, and corresponding comments and responses. We applied thematic analysis using an inductive approach.
Results
Of 81 threads identified, we included 27. We identified four themes: 1) Navigating the management of RA explores how the physical impacts of the disease, lack of health resources/support and the complexity of medications affect mental health; 2) Experiencing impact on relationships and social isolation includes experiencing misconceptions of RA, feeling misunderstood and feeling guilt; 3) Experiencing loss, touches on the helplessness brought by challenges with performing self-defining activities such as self-care, work, and childbearing/parenting; and finally, 4) Experiencing emotional struggles captures how tension between fighting through and despair has led some to suicide ideation and thoughts of death.
Conclusions
Online forums and communities such as Reddit have created opportunities for individuals with RA to share experiences on mental health matters, which they may not necessarily be able to share with others.
Keywords
rheumatoid arthritis, mental health, qualitative research, eHealth
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CURRENT STATUS: Published
View the published article at BMC Rheumatology.
No community comments so far
Submission checks complete
On 24 Aug, 2020
Editorial decision: Accept
On 24 Aug, 2020
Editor assigned
On 23 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 23 Aug, 2020
No comments provided
Editor assigned
On 13 Aug, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 12 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 12 Aug, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor revision
On 10 Aug, 2020
Editor assigned
On 05 Aug, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 04 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 04 Aug, 2020
Version 1
Posted 28 May, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 11 Jul, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 07 Jul, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 04 Jul, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 12 Jun, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 07 Jun, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 06 Jun, 2020
Editor assigned
On 18 May, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 17 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 17 May, 2020
First submitted
On 15 May, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Rheumatology
Learn more about our company.
A new preprint design is coming!
We have improved readability, clarity, accessibility, and opportunities for engagement.
See the published version of this preprint at BMC Rheumatology.
This is a preprint, a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
Mary A De Vera
University of British Columbia Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2205-2683
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Published
View the published article at BMC Rheumatology.
No community comments so far
Submission checks complete
On 24 Aug, 2020
Editorial decision: Accept
On 24 Aug, 2020
Editor assigned
On 23 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 23 Aug, 2020
No comments provided
Editor assigned
On 13 Aug, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 12 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 12 Aug, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor revision
On 10 Aug, 2020
Editor assigned
On 05 Aug, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 04 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 04 Aug, 2020
Version 1
Posted 28 May, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 11 Jul, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 07 Jul, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 04 Jul, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 12 Jun, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 07 Jun, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 06 Jun, 2020
Editor assigned
On 18 May, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 17 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 17 May, 2020
First submitted
On 15 May, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Rheumatology
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
View the published article at BMC Rheumatology.
Background
Online forums, where individuals ask questions, discuss opinions and share experiences provide a valuable pool of publicly available data to better understand impacts of disease and associated complications. Our objective was to systematically search and analyze threads on the social news website, Reddit, to understand experiences of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding their mental health.
Methods
We conducted a patient-oriented descriptive qualitative study. We identified threads from two subreddits, “r/Thritis” and “r/Rheumatoid”, using keywords such as “mood”, “mental health”, “stressed”, “depressed”, “anxious” over a 1-year period between June 2018 and June 2019. For included threads, we extracted the title, original post, and corresponding comments and responses. We applied thematic analysis using an inductive approach.
Results
Of 81 threads identified, we included 27. We identified four themes: 1) Navigating the management of RA explores how the physical impacts of the disease, lack of health resources/support and the complexity of medications affect mental health; 2) Experiencing impact on relationships and social isolation includes experiencing misconceptions of RA, feeling misunderstood and feeling guilt; 3) Experiencing loss, touches on the helplessness brought by challenges with performing self-defining activities such as self-care, work, and childbearing/parenting; and finally, 4) Experiencing emotional struggles captures how tension between fighting through and despair has led some to suicide ideation and thoughts of death.
Conclusions
Online forums and communities such as Reddit have created opportunities for individuals with RA to share experiences on mental health matters, which they may not necessarily be able to share with others.
Figure 1
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