The Meaning of Cyber Community - Support for Ten Women Struggling with Addiction to Food MC4 PS1b

M. Myers, Ed.D
The Meaning of Cyber Community as a Source of Support for Ten Women Struggling with Addiction to Food

This study examines the basic dimensions of cyber community as a source of social support and bonding for 10 women who self-identify as ‘overeaters’. In a cyber community that spans 22 months, these 10 participants were consistently present and interactive with one another, and operating virtually, they offered very real support for each other as they wax and wane through the addictive process. This study employed grounded theory analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of their experience and to explore how the cyber community contributed to a community of care.

1896 text messages were accessed over a period of 22 months from an Overeaters Anonymous cyber community. Threads and sub-threads were examined using the qualitative software program QSR NUD*IST, and conversations from 10 ‘constant’ participants were examined to seek the ‘meanings’ these individuals ascribed to the experiences of membership and participation in this community. Four of these participants were interviewed (on-line) to enhance the richness of information and to provide greater validity for findings.

In the study, ninety-six categories emerged. One-third of the se categories were related to ‘SOS’ calls for help and responses from other members to these messages. Another one-third were related to the content and processes of the 12 steps and 12 traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, one-sixth related to positive feelings about ‘staying on the program as well as offerings of forgiveness and acceptance when they did not and another one-eight related to past experiences and the process of ‘becoming an overeater’.

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