A Panacea?Online support groups are

A Panacea?
Online support groups are not appropriate for everyone and are not apanacea. Some participants may need additional medical, educational,social, and/or mental health services or may need a consultation with aspiritual or indigenous healer, clergy, shaman, or acupuncturist.Furthermore, limited feedback, as previously discussed, makes theassessment and referral process difficult and awkward for the host, especiallywhen the host is unfamiliar with services available in the participant'scountry or geographic region.
The isolating, mechanical, and individualistic nature of seeking helpand support from a Western perspective and through a computer may feelunnatural to members of some cultural groups, especially for those culturalgroups with a collective worldview (Bowman & Bowman, 1998). Face-to-face and group interactions tend to be valued and preferred by Asian-Americans, Latin-Americans, and Native-Americans, to mention a few (Sue& Sue, 1990). The Western value of equating emotional support withcomputers and self-disclosure (i.e., self-disclosure + computer = emotionalsupport) may be incompatible with the worldview of some cultural groups.
Anonymity Breaches
Steps are taken to maintain the anonymity of each participant as wellas the anonymity of group dialogue. Moderators promote anonymity bydiscouraging the exchange of identifying information as well as send linksand other requested information to a participant's e-mail address ratherthan to a residence. Moderators must remain abreast of current advancesin computer security to ensure participants' privacy and anonymity. Theyshould consider using a secure site and encryption software to protect thetransmission of personal information and to thwart breaches.
In spite of computer security procedures, anonymity can be breachedand dialogues can be intercepted (Lee, 1998; Sampson et al., 1997; Sussman,1998). Participants must consider the risk of a breach in anonymity beforejoining an online support group, must weigh the benefits against the riskswhen accessing services, must understand limits of privacy, and are advisedto limit the disclosure of personal and identifying information during theregistration or orientation process.In summary, caveat emptor (or buyerbeware).
Quality Control
The quality of online support groups varies.Each sets its ownstandards, procedures, and training programs for hosts.Locating anappropriate online support group may be haphazard because there is no master plan or repository to organize and identify sites. Moreover, sitesare unreliable for longevity and consistency. They appear, disappear, orare purchased by another site and may change their URL address.
The competency of moderators varies as well. The experience andprofessional qualifications (or the lack of) for moderators vary among websites, portals, and ISPs. A new participant might assume incorrectly thathosts are trained in a mental health or helping discipline. Therefore, it isincumbent upon each new participant to evaluate the appropriateness of aspecific online support group by inquiring about the professionalism andtraining of a host, among other criteria.Moderators should state theirprofessional qualifications (or indicate none) and address their culturalcompetency at the beginning of each session, or during orientation, whilenot divulging their true identity. Information about the moderator's trainingand education may help the participant to gain insight about the moderator'scompetence, value system, cultural competence, and worldview. Forexample, a moderator who is raised and educated in Australia will mostlikely have a worldview different from a host raised and educated in CostaRica. Therefore, the new participant is advised to try several online supportgroups in search of the best fit.
Members with Limited English Language Skills
Since English is the most common language used in online supportgroups, the participant should be fluent in expressive and receptive writtenEnglish. The rapid pace, text-based communication, and simultaneousdialogues may frustrate participants or moderators with language limitations(such as English as a second language or a learning disability). Theparticipant with limited English may be challenged in communicatingfeelings and thoughts verbally to others without relying on body languageand other non-verbal communication to compensate for any verbal deficits(Day & Schneider, 2000). Conversely, others may be challenged to respondin a supportive and helpful manner if they are unable to comprehend theparticipant's needs.In a text-only format with limited interpersonalfeedback, communicative misunderstandings are common for allparticipants and could be exacerbated for the participant or host with limitedEnglish. If the moderator suspects a participant is struggling with Englishlanguage limitations, the moderator should role model a different level ofvocabulary and check with participants periodically to ensurecomprehension and accurate expression.
Participants with learning disabilities or physical disabilities that limitdexterity such as cerebral palsy may benefit from software programs that
convert spoken word to text and vice versa. Continuous speech programs enable participation by thedictation of responses andspeech synthesisprograms translate written textfrom the computer intospeech (Sachs, 2001).

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Obat mujarab?Kelompok-kelompok dukungan online tidak sesuai untuk semua orang dan tidak apanacea. Beberapa peserta mungkin memerlukan layanan tambahan kesehatan medis, pendidikan, sosial, dan mental atau mungkin perlu berkonsultasi dengan aspiritual atau penyembuh adat, ulama, dukun, atau akupunktur. Selain itu, umpan-balik terbatas, seperti sebelumnya dibahas, membuat proses theassessment dan arahan sulit dan canggung untuk tuan rumah, especiallywhen host terbiasa dengan layanan yang tersedia di participant'scountry atau wilayah geografis.Sifat mengisolasi, mekanik, dan individualistis mencari dukungan helpand dari perspektif Barat dan melalui komputer bisa feelunnatural ke anggota beberapa kelompok budaya, terutama untuk orang-orang culturalgroups dengan pandangan kolektif (Bowman & Bowman, 1998). Interaksi tatap muka dan kelompok cenderung dihargai dan disukai oleh Amerika Asia, Amerika Latin, dan Amerika asli, untuk menyebutkan beberapa (Sue & Sue, 1990). Nilai Barat menyamakan diri-pengungkapan dan dukungan emosional withcomputers (yaitu, diri-pengungkapan + komputer = emotionalsupport) mungkin tidak kompatibel dengan pandangan dari beberapa kelompok budaya.Anonimitas pelanggaranLangkah-langkah yang diambil untuk menjaga anonimitas masing-masing peserta sebagai wellas anonimitas dialog Grup. Moderator mempromosikan anonimitas bydiscouraging pertukaran informasi identitas serta mengirimkan linksand lain meminta informasi ke alamat e-mail peserta ratherthan untuk tempat tinggal. Moderator harus tetap mengikuti keamanan komputer advancesin saat ini untuk memastikan privasi dan anonimitas peserta. Theyshould mempertimbangkan untuk menggunakan perangkat lunak situs dan enkripsi yang aman untuk melindungi thetransmission informasi pribadi dan untuk menggagalkan pelanggaran.Meskipun prosedur keamanan komputer, anonimitas dapat breachedand dialog dapat dicegat (Lee, 1998; Sampson et al., 1997; Sussman, 1998). Peserta harus mempertimbangkan risiko pelanggaran dalam anonimitas beforejoining kelompok dukungan online, harus menimbang manfaat terhadap riskswhen yang mengakses layanan, harus memahami batas-batas privasi, dan yang advisedto batas pengungkapan informasi pribadi dan mengidentifikasi selama proses theregistration atau orientasi. Dalam ringkasan, caveat emptor (atau buyerbeware).Kontrol kualitasKualitas dukungan online kelompok bervariasi. Masing-masing menetapkan ownstandards, prosedur, dan program pelatihan untuk host. Menemukan anappropriate kelompok dukungan online mungkin serampangan karena tidak ada rencana induk atau repositori untuk mengatur dan mengidentifikasi situs. Selain itu, sitesare tidak dapat diandalkan untuk umur panjang dan konsistensi. Mereka muncul, menghilang, orare dibeli oleh situs lain dan dapat mengubah alamat URL.The competency of moderators varies as well. The experience andprofessional qualifications (or the lack of) for moderators vary among websites, portals, and ISPs. A new participant might assume incorrectly thathosts are trained in a mental health or helping discipline. Therefore, it isincumbent upon each new participant to evaluate the appropriateness of aspecific online support group by inquiring about the professionalism andtraining of a host, among other criteria.Moderators should state theirprofessional qualifications (or indicate none) and address their culturalcompetency at the beginning of each session, or during orientation, whilenot divulging their true identity. Information about the moderator's trainingand education may help the participant to gain insight about the moderator'scompetence, value system, cultural competence, and worldview. Forexample, a moderator who is raised and educated in Australia will mostlikely have a worldview different from a host raised and educated in CostaRica. Therefore, the new participant is advised to try several online supportgroups in search of the best fit.Members with Limited English Language SkillsSince English is the most common language used in online supportgroups, the participant should be fluent in expressive and receptive writtenEnglish. The rapid pace, text-based communication, and simultaneousdialogues may frustrate participants or moderators with language limitations(such as English as a second language or a learning disability). Theparticipant with limited English may be challenged in communicatingfeelings and thoughts verbally to others without relying on body languageand other non-verbal communication to compensate for any verbal deficits(Day & Schneider, 2000). Conversely, others may be challenged to respondin a supportive and helpful manner if they are unable to comprehend theparticipant's needs.In a text-only format with limited interpersonalfeedback, communicative misunderstandings are common for allparticipants and could be exacerbated for the participant or host with limitedEnglish. If the moderator suspects a participant is struggling with Englishlanguage limitations, the moderator should role model a different level ofvocabulary and check with participants periodically to ensurecomprehension and accurate expression.Participants with learning disabilities or physical disabilities that limitdexterity such as cerebral palsy may benefit from software programs thatconvert spoken word to text and vice versa. Continuous speech programs enable participation by thedictation of responses andspeech synthesisprograms translate written textfrom the computer intospeech (Sachs, 2001).