Perceptions of online informational social support among mothers in a lactation-focused virtual community: A survey study

BACKGROUND: Peer support, also described as woman-to-woman support, has been well established as an effective intervention for overcoming barriers to breastfeeding duration. To access support and receive information, mothers are likely to access social media platforms, especially given the challenges to healthcare access presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research has established that virtual communities can promote peer-to-peer support similar to that seen in communities of practice. RESEARCH AIM: The aims of this study were to describe levels of perceived informational social support among mothers in an online virtual community and to determine which features of the virtual community were perceived most favorably by breastfeeding mothers. METHODS: The study design was a cross-sectional survey of members of an existing social media community of breastfeeding mothers with use of the Online Social Support Scale–Informational subscale, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Short Form, and additional open-ended questions during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited within a single, lactation-focused virtual community that was moderated by lactation support professionals. RESULTS: In regard to online social support specific to information seeking, the reported social support was moderate to high (M = 35.53, range = 17–48). Most items had a score average of approximately 3, indicating that participants perceived informational support “Pretty often” from their group interactions. Participants in this study had an average Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy–Short Form score of 57.91, indicating a moderately high level of breastfeeding self-efficacy. Content analysis of open-ended items regarding favorable characteristics of the virtual community indicated participants appreciated the immediacy of feedback and the presence of lactation support professionals within the community. CONCLUSION: Mothers in the lactation professional-led virtual community perceived moderately high support in health information seeking and experienced moderately high breastfeeding self-efficacy. Additional work is needed to determine the impact of participation in virtual communities on breastfeeding outcomes.