Background: Internet support groups (ISGs) for mental ill-health are common but little is known about the characteristics of users, the usage and predictors of ISG usage and if and how these change over time.
Aim: This study evaluated the attributes of a publically accessible ISG for depression and other mental disorders including: (1) the demographic and other characteristics of its users; (2) their patterns of usage; and (3) the factors which predict posts to and retention on the ISG.
Method: User characteristics (gender, age, user type, country and location of residence) were collected at the time of registration on the ISG BlueBoard (blueboard.anu.edu.au). All board log data were downloaded for the period October 2008 to May 2014. Predictors of post frequency and retention on the board were examined using logistic regressions. Other data were analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results: 2932 users contributed 131,004 posts to the ISG. The majority were female, aged 20 to 34 years, and mental health consumers. Although most users were city dwellers, 19% resided in rural or remote regions. Frequency of posts and retention on the board varied across users, with a moderate association between retention and number of posts. Growth in posts substantially exceeded the growth in new users over the monitoring period. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that consumers posted more often and remained longer than carers or others, and that younger users posted less often; however, the model predicted very little of the variance.
Conclusions: A small minority of active users are sufficient to ensure the sustainability and growth of an online mental health ISG. Further research is required to understand why so many support group members limit their contributions to one or a very small number of posts and what factors predict and promote active engagement and long-term retention in virtual mental health communities.
Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Internet; Mental health; Support group; Virtual community.