The therapeutic value of online cancer support

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the matter of cancer support. The particular areas of interest for the research are online cancer support facilities and virtual self-help. My research was conducted quantitively and my research tool was a questionnaire. I distributed one hundred questionnaires and had fifty five returned. My research population was a sample group of Irish and British cancer support service users. My results demonstrated that there is indeed a therapeutic value to online cancer support. They revealed that there are many practical advantages associated with online support. They also showed that online support does compare favourably to the traditional face to face model. My conclusion is that although my findings were very positive in regards to online support, the absence of human contact was shown to be a major issue of concern. Going forward, my research reveals that we will need to continue to develop ways of maximising the benefits of both online and face to face support for the cancer patient.