JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Informal caregiving of an older adult can be a stressful experience. Anonymous online communities, such as Reddit, provide caregivers with an avenue to disclose their stressors and seek support. However, how caregivers disclose their stressors and the effectiveness of these disclosures in eliciting desired social support remain unclear.

Objective:

Guided by the Stress Process Model and Optimal Matching Theory, this study examines stressors disclosed by informal caregivers on Reddit and types of social support received by different stressors disclosed in caregivers’ posts.

Methods:

We conducted quantitative content analysis on posts and comments in three subreddits for informal caregivers of older adults. We identified specific stressors disclosed in posts, analyzed the co-occurrence of different stressors, and examined the relationship between different stressors disclosed in posts and the presence of various social support in comments.

Results:

737 posts and 3446 comments were collected. In the posts, caregivers frequently disclosed care-recipients’ functional problems (500/737, 67.8%), caregiving relationship strain (279/737, 37.8%), care recipients’ emotional problems (195/737, 26.4%), and health and social resource scarcity (98/737, 13.3%). Care recipients’ functional problems, caregiving relationship strain, and care recipients’ emotional problems often co-occurred in the posts. Caregiving activity issues (Exp(B)=1.75, P=.030) and social role conflict (Exp(B)=1.64, P=.008) disclosed in posts were positively associated with informational support received in comments, while the care-recipients’ functional problems (Exp(B) = 1.65, P <.001) was positively associated with emotional support. We also found positive correlations between social role conflict (Exp(B) = 1.95, P<.001) and esteem support, as well as social restriction (Exp(B) = 2.41, P =.043) and network support.

Conclusions:

Caregivers frequently disclosed primary and secondary stressors, as well as stressors from the social environment, with various primary stressors usually co-occurring in Reddit posts. These stressors varied in their effectiveness in eliciting different types of social support in comments. Managers and moderators of online communities, such as subreddits, are expected to encourage caregivers’ sharing of stressors and promote the exchange of social support with their peers. Health professionals and social workers should develop targeted support interventions to meet the needs of informal caregivers of older adults.