Internet and social media use in cancer patients: association with distress and perceived benefits and limitations.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer patients may turn to social media (SM) to cope with distress. We investigated associations between distress and internet/SM use for cancer information/support. METHODS: Adult patients at a Canadian cancer centre completed a cross-sectional survey on sociodemographics, health status, use of cancer online resources and distress (EQ5D-5L). Statistical models adjusted for relevant variables. RESULTS: Of 376 participants, median age was 52 years, time since diagnosis was 1.63 years, 272 (74%) had post-secondary education and 192 (51%) were female. For cancer information/support, 276 (73%) used internet and 147 (39%) SM. Dose response relationships were observed between distress and cancer-related internet (p = 0.02), and SM use (p < 0.001). Respondents using internet/SM for cancer information/support reported greater internet confidence (internet OR = 4.0, 95% CI: 1.9-8.3; SM OR = 4.18, 95%, CI: 1.9-11.3), higher education (internet OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.7-5.2; SM OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.2-4.1) and were more likely female (internet OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.5-4.6; SM OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.4). For SM for cancer information/support, more used SM > 30 min daily (OR = 3.4; 95% CI: 2.1-5.7), and were distressed (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.0-2.7). SM benefits were to learn about cancer (93; 25%), distract from cancer (85; 23%) and connect with survivors (81; 22%). SM limitations were privacy (161; 43%), quality (90; 24%) and personal applicability (85; 23%). Females used SM more to connect with survivors than males (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Greater internet confidence, higher education and being female were associated with cancer-related internet/SM use. Distressed cancer patients were also more likely to turn to SM. Privacy concerns may limit SM use for coping. Future research should determine how to optimize SM in caring for and connecting with patients and reduce cancer-related distress.

Health-related social media use and preferences of adolescent and young adult cancer patients for virtual programming.

PURPOSE: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer are increasingly using the internet and social media (SM) for cancer-related information. AYA face specific challenges and thus require tailored resources that meet their needs. We describe the internet and SM preferences of AYA related to their cancer information seeking behaviors and their preferences for a future resource compared to middle-aged adults (MAA). METHODS: Cancer patients completed a cross-sectional survey related to their internet and SM usage, cancer information, and preferences for future resources. Chi-square tests were used to compare AYA and MAA. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) age in the AYA group was 30±6.1 years (n = 129); in MAA 55±6.7 years (n = 157). In general, AYA preferred internet sites over SM platforms for cancer-related information and prefer a website platform over a SM platform for a new resource. Few AYA were aware of hospital-based AYA-specific resources. MAA were less likely to use SM compared with AYA (13% vs 4%, p = 0.01); however, websites and SM platforms that were used were similar between the 2 groups. Participants endorsed having already researched certain topics - yet, these were also those desired in a new resource. Compared to MAA, AYA sought more information on diet/nutrition, physical activity, exercise/fitness, fertility, sexual health, and body image (all p values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: AYA and MAA use similar resources on the internet and SM, but AYA sought information related to specific needs. Development of future resources should focus on an internet-based platform rather than a SM platform, coupled with promoting awareness of the resource.

Age differences in patterns and confidence of using internet and social media for cancer-care among cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVES: The internet and social media provide information and support to cancer survivors, and adolescent and young adults (AYA, age < 40 years), adults, and older (age 65+ years) cancer survivors may have different needs. We evaluated the impact of age on cancer-related internet and social media use and confidence in evaluating online information for cancer-care decision making. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cancer survivors completed a convenience cross-sectional survey evaluating their cancer-related internet and social media use and their confidence in using these resources for decision making. Multivariable regression models evaluated the impact of age on usage patterns and confidence. RESULTS: Among 371 cancer survivors, 58 were older adults and 138 were AYA; 74% used the internet and 39% social media for cancer care; 48% felt confident in using online information for cancer-care decisions. Compared to adult survivors, there was a non-significant trend for older survivors to be less likely to use the internet for cancer-care information(aOR = 0.49, 95% CI[0.23-1.03], P = .06), while AYA were more likely to use social media for cancer-care (aOR = 1.79[1.08-2.99], P = .03). Although confidence at using online information for cancer-care decision making did not differ between age groups, increasing age had a non-significant trend towards reduced confidence (aOR = 0.99 per year [0.97-1.00], P = .09). Most commonly researched and desired online information were causes/risk factors/symptoms, treatment options, and prognosis/outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Age may influence the use of internet and social media for cancer-care, and older cancer survivors may be less confident at evaluating online information for cancer-care decision making. Future research should explore other strategies at meeting the informational needs of older cancer survivors.