You are invited to take part in a study exploring how expressing views, opinions and emotions in online forums can affect wellbeing? This study is being conducted by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University and is open to online forum users everywhere (not just the UK).
The purpose of this study is to explore how expressing views, opinions and emotions and other factors influence changes in wellbeing, with the expectation that forum use leads to heightened wellbeing.
This study will take very little of your time and you can continue to use the forum as you would in any case. You would be asked to complete a short survey at the start of the study, which you can begin at any time, and another 1 month later.
The initial survey is estimated to take around 20 minutes to complete. To explore how different expressions affect wellbeing, your posts during this time would also be analysed anonymously to identify opinions expressed and emotional words, how often they appear and how positive or negative they are, but you are not obligated to post anything and you can use the site as if you were not involved in a study, and you can also withdraw from the survey at any time. The results of the study will be written up as a journal article with the intention of publication in a relevant journal.
Remember that none of the information you provide will be connected back to you. All survey responses are kept confidential. Your name is never stored with the data or with any other information you provide. The information in the study records will be kept confidential. No one will see your responses except for the researchers.
To participate, please click on the link below to be directed to a secure online questionnaire site.
Click here to take Questionnaire 1
If you have any questions about participating in this study, please contact the researchers below.
Thanks for your willingness to participate!
Brett Pagdin
Sheffield Hallam University
brett.n.pagdin@student.shu.ac.uk
Katie Cutts
Sheffield Hallam University
k.cutts@shu.ac.uk
Proposed Duration of Project: Start date: 01/11/2013 End Date: 14/02/2014
Background to the Study and Scientific Rationale
Wellbeing has a strong correlation with overall health (Okun, Stock, Haring and Witten, 1984). Internet forums have been associated with both positive and negative effects on individuals with regards to wellbeing, with generally favourable outcomes including increases in social capital and social wellbeing in some cases (e.g. Johnston, Maureen, Lalla & Kawalski, 2013) but also loneliness in real world situations in other studies (e.g. Apoalaza, Hartmann, Medina, Barrutia & Echebarria, 2013).
In addition, research into wellbeing has focused on two main concepts – eudaimonic and hedonic wellbeing (Ryan and Deci, 2001). Eudemonia has further been described as ‘positive expressiveness’ – actively working towards purposeful activities in line with a person’s values and identity (Waterman, 1993). However, the effects on wellbeing of more specific forms of expression on the internet, such as expressing views, opinions and emotions in online forums, has not been fully investigated in previous studies.
Internet forums are an increasingly common space for expressing views and opinions, collaboration and gaining support (Barak et al., 2008) and are a relatively efficient means of widespread expression. Barak et al. (2008) in a review of studies exploring the nature of online forums concluded that empirical research had found little or no specific outcomes from participation but asserted that online forums have been shown to foster non-specific personal impacts on wellbeing and personal empowerment, and highlighted the importance of these psychological factors, for instance in handling distress from chronic conditions.