Study: Breast Cancer Patients Find Internet Support Groups Helpful

Two-thirds of the breast cancer patients who go online for emotional help find Internet support groups beneficial, according to researchers at the University of California - San Francisco.

In their study, 32 women were divided into four groups, who met online for one-and-a-half hours weekly for 16 weeks. Half the women lived in rural areas or small towns and the others lived in medium-sized or large cities. Three quarters of the women were in the early stages of the disease.

The women reported "significantly reduced depression," according to the researchers writing in the journal Cancer. And while participants said their pain was no less intense, they reported finding it more tolerable and less agonizing than before joining the online groups.

"Women with a devastating disease will join and commit themselves to an online support group," the researchers concluded. "In addition, because a large percentage of these women were from rural locations, this type of intervention may hold promise for those who have limited access to support groups."

Other sources: Cancer