How helpful are self-help Web resources? G. Peggy McFall, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta Abstract The use of on-line self-help Web sites is an important addition for the treatment of many disorders. Because of the increasing number of these sites we wanted to know if the sites are being used as effectively as possible. We asked which kind of resource is the most helpful and if this helpfulness changes for different disorders. We found that there is a significant effect between Web site resources but no effect between disorders. Why do the research? Research has shown that self-help groups are effective. The benefit of self-help Web resources is that they are always available when people need them most. There is also a proliferation of self-help Web resources becoming available on the Web. While there are several benefits to on-line support, there are also some risks People might not seek professional help when necessary because of on-line support People may receive misleading information The risk of identity theft and other security issues. Research is required to assess if self-help Web resources are beneficial and if they are being used to their full potential. What are the research questions? Are some self-help resources more helpful than others? Are some self-help resources more helpful for some disorders than others? How are we going to find the answers? Undergraduate psychology students (N=120) fulfilling course requirements took part in this study. Three scenarios (Figure 1) and a 25 item online questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire asked about different self-help Web resources in regard to the scenario such as: How helpful do you think an on-line self-help bulletin board would be? Do you think your person would use an on-line self-help bulletin board? One of the three scenarios was randomly assigned to each participant, the scenario was read and participants completed the questionnaire. Online Self- help Factual Listing of local resources Self diagnostic quiz Bulletin/ message board Instant messaging/ chat Psychologist via or bulletin board Psychologist via Chat room Psychologist via video conferencing Mark (Depression), Jamie (Eating Disorder), Marcia (Alcohol Dependency) Mark (Depression), Jamie (Eating Disorder), Marcia (Alcohol Dependency) Figure 1: Jamie scenario Jamie is obsessed with her weight and her parents are becoming increasingly more concerned about her eating behaviour. She has been dieting for the past two years, after being chided by her family and friends for being “pudgy”. She sets weight goals and as she reaches them, she sets new ones. When Jamie is asked about her food intake she often lists foods that she has flushed down the toilet. Jamie says that there were occasions over the past few years when she has been fairly “down” but she still feels driven to diet. She is 5'2” tall and weights 88 lbs. She estimates she is eating around 500 calories per day. What did we find? no significant differences was found between the three disorders for any of our questions What does this mean? There was a significant effect between the eight types of self-help Web resources One surprising result was that bulletin boards were rated the lowest It seems when looking at self-help Web sites that bulletin boards are used most frequently. The question is: Do lay persons think bulletin boards would not be effective, while persons using self-help Web sites find them helpful. OR Are self-help Web sites making bulletin boards more readily available so that people are forced to use them to get on-line support. Acknowledgements Connie Varnhagen for her continual encouragement and guidance The Instructional Technology Lab for all of their input and practical help How helpful do you think this Web resource would be for someone in the scenario? Would the person in the scenario use this resource? A significant difference between the eight different types of Web resources was found Highest rated resources Instant messaging or chat room 3.24 (1.10) Listing of local resources 3.83 (1.04) Psychologist via chat room Psychologist via or bulletin board 3.82 (1.14) 3.78 (1.01) Psychologist via chat room 2.89 (1.08) Self diagnostic quiz 2.99 (1.20)