Objectives: To examine the effects of exchanging treatment information within computer-mediated breast cancer support groups on emotional well-being, and to explore whether this relationship is moderated by health self-efficacy.
Sample: 177 breast cancer patients using an electronic Health (eHealth) program with discussion group.
Measure: expression and reception of treatment information; emotional well-being scale (0, 4 months).
Analyses: hierarchical regression.
Results: Effects of expression and reception of treatment information on emotional well-being were significantly greater for those who have higher health self-efficacy.
Conclusions: Results conditionally support prior research finding positive effects of treatment information exchanges among breast cancer patients. Such exchanges had a positive impact on emotional well-being for those with higher health self-efficacy, but they had a negative influence for those with lower health self-efficacy.
Practice implications: Given that the association between emotional well-being and exchanging treatment information was moderated by health self-efficacy, clinicians should explain the role of health self-efficacy before encouraging patients to use eHealth systems for treatment exchanges.
Keywords: Breast cancer; Computer-Mediated Social Support (CMSS) Group; emotional well-being; health self-efficacy; treatment information expression and reception.
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