(PS10-76) Reddit (as) therapy?: Online disclosures and help-seeking among intimate partner violence survivors

Abstract Text: Intimate partner violence is a public health concern and in recent years more people have been turning to online sources of support such as Reddit. (O’Neill, 2018). This is likely due to the anonymous nature of these sites, allowing many survivors to disclose their experiences, seek advice, and connect to communities of support (Aldkheel et al., 2021; Gueta et al, 2023). While emerging literature shows an increase in this trend, less is known about the type of support requested and the responses to these requests on online forums. The current study completed a thematic analysis of online disclosures of intimate partner violence (IPV) on Reddit between May 2017 to May 2024 (n = 394). Posts were coded using an iterative process by two coders and achieved an interrater reliability score of .94. Posters reported experiencing a variety of forms of intimate partner violence (physical abuse: 48.7%, emotional abuse: 35.6%, sexual violence: 13.0%; stalking: 6.5%; coercive control: 21.6%), the majority of which were at the hands of a current partner (60.7%). The majority of posters requested emotional support (77.6%), followed by informational support (41%), and seeking opinions (33%). A little over half of the violence reported was ongoing (52.6%) at the time the poster was seeking support. To examine differences in support requested by individuals based on whether the violence was ongoing or in the past, a series of chi-squared analyses were conducted. Results indicated that posters were more likely to request informational support if the violence was ongoing (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the frequency of seeking emotional support and opinions between survivors experiencing current versus past violence. Results indicate that online forums are spaces that victim-survivors of IPV turn to for support and that the form of support requested varies by the temporal aspects of the violence. These findings highlight the critical role of online communities in providing support and enhancing well-being among survivors. As such, additional moderation of online forums and guidance on engaging with victims in these digital spaces is needed.