Social Media and Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions

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Social Media and Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions

Longtermsurvivor

Social Media Linked to More Satisfaction with Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions

Women who engaged on social media after a breast cancer diagnosis expressed more deliberation about their treatment decision and more satisfaction with the path they chose, a new study finds.

28-Jul-2016 at 11:00 ET (JAMA Oncology; CA163233)

--University of Michigan Health System

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/657964/?sc=s...

excerpt:

Overall, 41 percent of women reported some or frequent use of online communication. Texting and email were most common, with 35 percent of women using it. Twelve percent of women reported using Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites, and 12 percent used web-based support groups.

"Women reported separate reasons for using each of these modalities. Email and texting were primarily to let people know they had been diagnosed. They tended to use social media sites and web-based support groups to interact about treatment options and physician recommendations," Wallner says.

"Women also reported using all of these outlets to deal with the negative emotions and stress around their breast cancer diagnosis. They're using these communications to cope," she says.