Emotional and Informational Supportive Exchanges as Predictors of Relational Health and Well-Being in Computer-Mediated Support Groups for Individuals with a Traumatic Brain Injur

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors often experience isolation from their primary support network following their injury (Marsh, Kersel, Havill, & Sleigh, 1998). Computer-mediated support groups (CMSGs) offer a virtual platform for individuals with complex medical concerns to exchange emotional and informational support (Braithwaite, Waldron, & Finn, 1999). To date, no research has examined the use of CMSGs, such as TBI-related Facebook support groups, for TBI survivors. There is also limited research investigating how emotional and informational support provided and received (i.e., supportive exchanges) relate to well-being and online relational health (Liang et al., 2002). This study examined the relationship between four supportive exchanges and well-being and relational health for TBI survivors using TBI-related Facebook support groups, as well as whether a gender norm---emotional control---and network preference moderated these relationships.;Participants included 191 TBI survivors recruited across 14 TBI-related Facebook support groups. Multiple regression analyses tested whether four supportive exchanges directly predicted well-being and relational health after controlling for age and extraversion. Results revealed that supportive exchanges did not predict well-being. However, emotional support provided, emotional support received, and informational support received all predicted higher levels of online relational health. Informational support provided predicted lower levels of online relational health. Additional multiple regression analyses tested whether emotional control and four aspects of network preference moderated the relationship between supportive exchanges and well-being and relational health. Although higher levels of emotional control directly predicted lower levels of relational health, and a preference for weak-tie support networks (e.g., online acquaintances) predicted lower levels of well-being, the moderating effects were generally not significant.;The findings underscore the importance of supportive exchanges in developing online relational health for TBI survivors using Facebook support groups. It also suggests that this relationship was not dependent on emotional control and network preference. Future research should investigate other factors affecting supportive online communication for TBI survivors and when they may benefit most from online support.