Description, characterization, and evaluation of an online social networking community: the American Cancer Society's Cancer Survivors Network®.

PURPOSE: To describe (a) the conceptualization, purpose, and features of The American Cancer Society's Cancer Survivors Network® (CSN; http://csn.cancer.org ), (b) the ongoing two-phase evaluation process of CSN, and (c) the characteristics of CSN members. METHODS: An online opt-in self-report survey of CSN members (N = 4762) was conducted and digital metrics of site use were collected. RESULTS: Annually, CSN attracts over 3.6 million unique users from over 200 countries/territories. Most commonly used site features are discussion boards (81.1%), the search function (63.8%), and the member resource library (50.2%). The survey sample is mostly female (69.6%), non-Hispanic white (84.1%), and self-identified as a cancer survivor (49.8%), or both cancer survivor and cancer caregiver (31.9%). A larger number of survey respondents reported head and neck cancer (12.5%), relative to cancer incidence/prevalence data. CONCLUSIONS: The volume of CSN traffic suggests high demand among cancer survivors and caregivers for informational and/or emotional support from other cancer survivors and caregivers. CSN may be particularly beneficial for individuals with rare cancers. Furthermore, this study documents a group of individuals whose cancer experience is multifaceted (e.g., survivors became caregivers or vice versa), and for whom CSN has the capacity to provide support at multiple points during their cancer experiences. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: CSN is a free, internet-based social networking site available to all cancer survivors and caregivers, worldwide. Evaluation of the site is ongoing and will be used to inform improvements to usability, reach, recruitment, retention, and potential health impact(s) of this valuable resource.

A visual search examination of attentional biases among individuals with high and low drive for thinness.

The purpose of this study was to examine attentional biases through visual search patterns of 40 females with high (high-risk for eating disorders) or low (low-risk for eating disorders) levels of drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction while viewing slides depicting ectomorphic, mesomorphic, and endomorphic female body shapes. Participants were outfitted in an eye tracking system, which was used to collect gaze behavior data while viewing the slides. Fixation frequency and duration to five body locations were analyzed through the use of ASL EYENAL software. For the mesomorphic, ectomorphic, and endomorphic slides, the low-risk group looked significantly more often at the leg region than the high-risk group. The low-risk group also gazed significantly longer at the leg region than the high-risk group when viewing the mesomorphic and ectomorphic slides. For the endomorphic slides, the low-risk group focused significantly longer on the midsection than did the high-risk group. The findings suggest avoidance behaviors among the high-risk group that are reflected in their locus of attention, and indicate that negative affect among high-risk individuals may be induced by selective attention to particular environmental cues. An integrative theoretical account emanating from cognitive, social, and behaviorist approaches to understanding attentional biases in body disturbance is used to explain the findings.