This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (17) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Broom, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The eMale

Prostate cancer, masculinity and online support as a challenge to medical expertise

School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, UK, A.Broom{at}leeds.ac.uk

This article argues that experiences of, and attitudes towards, online communities are deeply embedded in understandings of masculinity, the perceived character of the Internet, and changes in the roles of the patient and the expert within decision-making processes. Drawing on the accounts of a group of Australian men with prostate cancer and prostate cancer specialists, this qualitative study explores experiences of online support groups. Results point to three unexplored and important factors influencing how both patients and clinicians perceive and experience online support. First, online support groups provide some men with a method of managing constraints posed by dominant constructions of masculinity within their experiences of prostate cancer, allowing for increased sharing and intimacy by limiting inhibitions associated with face-to-face encounters. However, other men view online support groups as havens for deception and misinformation, and computer-mediated communication as a highly problematic form of social interaction. Finally, this article shows how some medical specialists experience online support groups as a threat to their expert status and control over decision-making processes, outlining the nature and possible implications of their responses to this threat.

Key Words: Internet • masculinity • online support • prostate cancer

Journal of Sociology, Vol. 41, No. 1, 87-104 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1440783305050965


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Broom Intuition, Subjectivity, and Le Bricoleur: Cancer Patients' Accounts of Negotiating a Plurality of Therapeutic Options Qual Health Res, August 1, 2009; 19(8): 1050 - 1059. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. L. Oliffe Book Review: Robertson, S. (2007). Understanding men and health: Masculinities, identity and well-being. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press American Journal of Men's Health, June 1, 2008; 2(2): 190 - 191. [PDF]

				A. Broom and P. Tovey The role of the Internet in cancer patients' engagement with complementary and alternative treatments Health (London) , April 1, 2008; 12(2): 139 - 155. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. E. Beaudoin and C.-C. Tao Modeling the impact of online cancer resources on supporters of cancer patients New Media Society, April 1, 2008; 10(2): 321 - 344. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. Oliffe and S. Thorne Men, Masculinities, and Prostate Cancer: Australian and Canadian Patient Perspectives of Communication With Male Physicians Qual Health Res, February 1, 2007; 17(2): 149 - 161. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Broom Medical specialists' accounts of the impact of the Internet on the doctor/patient relationship Health (London) , July 1, 2005; 9(3): 319 - 338. [Abstract] [PDF]