The growing number of adults living with chronic illness, combined with the increased availability of illness-specific online support groups, is changing the way individuals seek information about their chronic illnesses. This study utilized elements of the theory of motivated information management (TMIM) to examine how individuals decide to seek information about their chronic illness from online support groups. Adults with chronic illness who had visited at least one online support group in the last six months completed an online survey. Structural equation model findings revealed that, although uncertainty discrepancy about a chronic illness did not predict negative emotional response, both target efficacy and communication efficacy were positively related to information-seeking. Findings aid in explaining specific processes individuals go through when deciding to visit online support groups to gather information about their chronic illnesse, but cannot conclusively support TMIM in this context.

中文翻译：

---

使用在线支持小组寻求有关慢性疾病的信息：应用动机信息管理理论

越来越多的成年人患有慢性疾病，再加上针对特定疾病的在线支持小组的可用性增加，正在改变个人寻求有关其慢性疾病的信息的方式。本研究利用动机信息管理 (TMIM) 理论的要素来研究个人如何决定从在线支持小组寻求有关其慢性病的信息。在过去六个月中至少访问过一个在线支持小组的慢性病成人完成了一项在线调查。结构方程模型的研究结果表明，虽然慢性疾病的不确定性差异不能预测负面情绪反应，但目标效能和沟通效能都与信息寻求呈正相关。