Research shows that access to social support can help mitigate the negative
psychological effects of chronic illness, and positively influence health outcomes,
ultimately improving the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of those affected.
However, many with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Montana may lack access to
social support and illness-related knowledge needed to manage their disease successfully.
If a viable, accessible, and beneficial opportunity were available, it would be crucial to
have the endorsement of local physicians. The problem addressed in this study was that
those serving individuals in Montana with IBD need to know how individuals
participating in a Montana-specific, online support community for those in Montana with
IBD assess and describe their experiences within the community, and how they report
that their experiences have affected their HRQOL in the areas of social support and
illness knowledge. Three research questions were posed: How do participants assess and
describe their experiences within the online community; how have their experiences
impacted their HRQOL as exhibited through impacts on social support; and, how have
their experiences impacted their HRQOL as exhibited through impacts on illness
knowledge? Ten participants were recruited from the membership of the online
community, MontanasGotGuts.org. A 20-item, self-report survey instrument was initially
used to obtain demographic data, website usage data, and data on participants’
experiences. Next, qualitative research methods, using semi-structured interviews, were
conducted to collect more insightful, descriptive data. Study findings consisted of four
major themes with 14 subthemes that illustrated how the participants experienced the
online community. The major themes included: participants expressed a need to meet
others with IBD; participants reported low active participation levels; participants valued
the community as a source of IBD-related information; and, participants valued the
community as a source of social support. Recommendations were made to the researcher,
the national IBD community, those with IBD and their physicians, and other online