Communicating in complex situations: a normative approach to HIV-related talk among parents who are HIV+.

Parents with HIV/AIDS are confronted with unique challenges when discussing HIV-related information with their children. Strategies for navigating these challenges effectively have not been systematically examined. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 76 parents with HIV/AIDS who had children ages 10-18 years.

Work and "mass personal" communication as means of navigating nutrition and exercise concerns in an online cancer community.

Background: Health and psychosocial outcomes for young adults affected by cancer have improved only minimally in decades, partially due to a lack of relevant support and information. Given significant unmet needs involving nutrition and exercise, it is important to understand how this audience handles information about food and fitness in managing their cancer experiences.

Objective: Using the theory of illness trajectories as a framework, we explored how four lines of work associated with living with a chronic illness such as cancer (illness, everyday life, biographical, and the recently explicated construct of communication work) impacts and is impacted by nutrition and exercise concerns.

Defining adolescent and young adult (AYA) exercise and nutrition needs: concerns communicated in an online cancer support community.

Objective: To describe topics, needs, and concerns related to nutrition and exercise that adolescents and young adults affected by a serious illness (cancer) discuss online.

Methods: Investigators conducted a qualitative content analysis of messages related to nutrition and exercise posted on an online young adult cancer forum.

Results: AYAs described several functions achieved through nutrition and exercise, such as fighting cancer, losing weight, obtaining nutrients despite side effects of treatment, promoting general health, enjoyment, and promoting mental/emotional health.

Using Twitter for prenatal health promotion: encouraging a multivitamin habit among college-aged females.

Half of the pregnancies in the United States are unplanned and the highest rate of these unplanned pregnancies occurs in young women aged 18-24y. Serious birth defects, such as those that affect the neural tube, occur early in pregnancy, most of the time before a woman knows she is pregnant. These neural tube defects can be reduced by 50-72% with an adequate daily intake of folic acid.

Sources of patient uncertainty when reviewing medical disclosure and consent documentation.

Objectives: Despite evidence that medical disclosure and consent forms are ineffective at communicating the risks and hazards of treatment and diagnostic procedures, little is known about exactly why they are difficult for patients to understand. The objective of this research was to examine what features of the forms increase people's uncertainty.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 254 individuals.

Exploring psychosocial support online: a content analysis of messages in an adolescent and young adult cancer community.

The increased usage of online cancer support groups as a resource for health-related information and social support has sparked numerous discussions about the role of online support in healthcare. However, little is known about the role of social-networking groups focused on supporting adolescents and young adults (AYAs) dealing with cancer. The current investigation report findings from a content analysis designed to explore how AYAs use an online support group to meet their psychosocial needs.

The nature of communication work during cancer: advancing the theory of illness trajectories.

More theory development about interpersonal communication during cancer is needed so that scholarship can be advanced and practical applications of findings can be best disseminated and applied. We proposed an evidence-based extension to the theory of illness trajectories based on findings from a qualitative study of cancer survivors' (n = 40) experiences with communication. Grounding our analysis in respondents' descriptions of the demands, obligations, and preparatory activities involved in discussing their cancer, we theorized the construct of communication work, which focuses on the labor and resources devoted to managing talk during cancer and living with illness.

Health literacy, self-efficacy, and patients' assessment of medical disclosure and consent documentation.

Informed consent documents are designed to convey the risks of medical procedures to patients, yet they are often difficult to understand; this is especially true for individuals with limited health literacy. An important opportunity for advancing knowledge about health literacy and informed consent involves examining the theoretical pathways that help to explain how health literacy relates to information processing when patients read consent forms. In this study, we proposed and tested a model that positioned self-efficacy as a mediator of the association between health literacy and patients' comprehension and assessment of informed consent documentation.

Health literacy as controversy: an online community's discussion of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acetaminophen recommendations.

Adults in the United States increasingly use the Internet for health information, and online discussions can provide insights into public perceptions of health issues. The purpose of this project was to investigate public perceptions of issues related to health literacy, within the context of a conversation about recommendations to the U.S.

Breast cancer patients' topic avoidance and psychological distress: the mediating role of coping.

Avoiding communication about cancer is common and is likely to have negative psychological health consequences for patients, yet the connection between topic avoidance and psychological well-being is not well understood. This study of women with breast cancer examined coping behaviors as mediating mechanisms through which their cancer-related topic avoidance might affect their psychological distress. Consistent with predictions, greater levels of patient topic avoidance were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety.

Do message features influence reactions to HIV disclosures? a multiple-goals perspective.

People who are HIV-positive must make decisions about disclosing their status to others but do so in the context of stigma and social isolation reported by many with the disease. Disclosing an HIV-positive diagnosis is necessary to seek social support, to manage health care, and to negotiate sexual encounters, but fear of how others will respond is a strong barrier to revealing that information. This investigation focuses on various ways that HIV can be disclosed.

Uncertainty of social network members in the case of communication-debilitating illness or injury.

Uncertainty is a consequential aspect of chronic illness for patients as well as their family and friends, yet little research has focused on how non-ill individuals experience uncertainty about the condition of someone in their social network. Thirty-one individuals with loved ones who had a communication-debilitating illness or injury (CDI) participated in one-on-one interviews about their experiences. We analyzed transcripts for participants' sources of uncertainty and for ways that they managed the uncertainty.

Effects of communication-debilitating illnesses and injuries on close relationships: a relational maintenance perspective.

A communication-debilitating illness or injury (CDI) presents significant challenges for patients as well as for friends and family. In a qualitative study of the effects of a CDI on close relationships, 28 individuals with loved ones who had experienced a CDI were interviewed. Participants described adjustments in communication with the patient and explained what it is like to experience a relationship with a CDI patient.