Human Communication Research ISSN 0360 3989 ORIGINAL ARTICLE A Meta Analysis of Research on Formal Computer Mediated Support Groups Examining Group Characteristics and Health Outcomes Stephen A Rains Valerie Young Department of Communication University of Arizona Tucson AZ 85721 0025 This article reports a meta analysis of 28 studies examining the health related outcomes associated with participation in a formal computer mediated support group CMSG intervention In particular health outcomes related to social support were assessed and four group level characteristics of CMSGs were tested as potential moderators of intervention effectiveness The results show that participating in a CMSG intervention comprised of educational and group communication components led to increased social support decreased depression increased quality of life and increased self efficacy to manage one s health condition Changes in health outcomes were moderated by group size the nature of the communication channels available and the duration of the CMSG intervention doi 10 1111 j 1468 2958 2009 01353 x The benefits of group interaction have been fairly well recognized among scholars and practitioners of health communication Group based health interventions such as support groups self help groups and group psychotherapy allow members to give and receive social support from others who are or have been afflicted with a particular health condition Arntson Droge 1987 Group interventions also provide an outlet for members to make social comparisons Gottlieb 1988 witness the modeling of behaviors such as coping Posluszny Hyman Baum 1998 and demystify their experiences with a health condition Levy 1979 The results of at least two meta analyses indicate that group interventions conducted face to face can lead to health improvements for participants Barlow Burlingame Nebeker Anderson 1999 Burlingame Fuhriman Mosier 2003 In recent years the widespread diffusion of personal computers and the Internet has been met with the development of Internet based group health interventions Computer mediated support group CMSG programs are delivered by medical Corresponding author Stephen A Rains e mail srains email arizona edu Human Communication Research 35 2009 309 336 c 2009 International Communication Association 309 Computer Mediated Support Groups S A Rains V Young professionals using the Internet and consist of an educational component and a group communication component For example the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System CHESS is an established computer based group intervention that can be tailored to specific medical conditions such as breast cancer Gustafson et al 1998 2001 smoking cessation Meis et al 2002 and asthma Wise et al 2007 CHESS makes it possible to provide group members with access to medical information decision support skills training and an asynchronous discussion forum where they can share information strategies for coping and support CMSG interventions are distinct from the informal and loosely structured self help groups found on Websites such as WebMD com and Yahoo com in that formal CMSGs have both educational and group communication components closed membership enrollment fixed duration and may include some form of expert leadership Gottlieb 2000 Helgeson Gottlieb 2000 Group communication is integral to CMSG interventions as a resource for members to exchange social support Interacting with others who are suffering or have suffered from a specific health condition offers a multitude of potential opportunities to give and receive information emotional and esteem support Such support may serve to buffer individuals experience of stressful events Cohen Wills 1985 manage health related uncertainty Albrecth Goldsmith 2003 and ultimately foster positive health outcomes Uchino Cacioppo Kiecolt Glaser 1996 Further the computer mediated nature of CMSGs offers several distinct advantages that may facilitate supportive communication Walther Boyd 2002 Walther Pingree Hawkins Buller 2005 Wright Bell 2003 Walther and Parks 2002 succinctly summarize the potential of computer mediated communication using the Internet noting that The question for researchers is not whether the Internet is capable of providing social support but rather why it should be so effective as a support medium p 545 Despite the growing number of studies examining the health outcomes associated with participation in CMSG programs the findings from this body of research are inconsistent To help interpret scholarship on CMSGs we conducted a meta analysis focusing on the role of group communication and social support in CMSGs Metaanalysis is a useful tool to summarize a body of research and reconcile mixed findings Hedges Olkin 1985 Hunter Schmidt Jackson 1982 The primary goal of the analysis was to assess the influence of participating in a CMSG intervention in which group communication is a key component on perceptions of social support depression quality of life and self efficacy to manage one s health condition A second goal of this meta analysis was to evaluate group characteristics that may make CMSG interventions more or less effective at fostering the exchange of social support and positive health outcomes Drawing from research on characteristics of social networks we examined group size communication channels frequency of contact and time as moderators of the health benefits associated with CMSG participation 310 Human Communication Research 35 2009 309 336 c 2009 International Communication Association S A Rains V Young Computer Mediated Support Groups Literature review Social support and CMSGs CMSGs and informal Web based self help groups have received a fair amount of attention by researchers in various academic fields Yet the theoretical mechanisms that explain their functions and outcomes as they relate to social support are not well understood As Wright and Bell 2003 explain The majority of studies that have examined computer mediated support groups over the past several years have been descriptive in nature and they have not linked findings to a broader theoretical framework despite a vast amount of theory in both the areas of social support and computer mediated communication p 49 Thus we first consider theorizing about the health outcomes associated with social support broadly and then discuss research on CMSGs Social support is an umbrella term that describes the association between participation in social