Table 1.
Data extraction: papers included in the review (N=19).
| Authors (year) | Title of paper | Type of family caregiver |
| Andersson et al [41] | The Experiences of Working Carers of Older People Regarding Access to a Web-Based Family Care Support Network Offered by a Municipality | Working caregivers of older people |
| Andréasson et al [42] | Developing a Carer Identity and Negotiating Everyday Life Through Social Networking Sites: An Explorative Study on Identity Constructions in an Online Swedish Carer Community | All adult family caregivers |
| Benson et al [43]a | Online Social Support Groups for Informal Caregivers of Hospice Patients With Cancer | Caregivers of hospice cancer patients |
| Clifford and Minnes [44] | Logging On: Evaluating an Online Support Group for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders | Parents of children with ASDb |
| Cole et al [45] | Caregivers of School-Aged Children with Autism: Social Media as a Source of Support | Caregivers of children with ASD |
| Coulson and Greenwood [46] | Families Affected by Childhood Cancer: An Analysis of the Provision of Social Support Within Online Support Group | Families affected by childhood cancer |
| Diefenbeck et al [47] | Emergence of Yalom’s Therapeutic Factors in a Peer-Led, Asynchronous, Online Support Group for Family Caregivers | Caregivers of chronically ill individuals |
| Ferrell et al [48] | Informal Caregiving Experiences in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Content Analysis of an Online Community | Caregivers of people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
| Friedman et al [49]c | Online Peer Support Groups for Family Caregivers: Are They Reaching the Caregivers With the Greatest Needs? | Caregivers of military personnel |
| Ihring et al [50] | Online Support Groups Offer Low Threshold Backing for Family and Friends of Patients With Prostate Cancer | Caregivers of people with prostate cancer |
| Knepper and Arrington [51] | Parents’ Narratives in an Online PHPV Forum: Toward a Typology of Caregiver Illness Narratives | Parents of children with persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV) |
| Kruk [52] | ‘I can’t bear the thought that he might not recognise me’: Personal Narratives as a Site of Identity Work in the Online Alzheimer’s Support Group | Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease |
| Male et al [53] | The Continuous Confrontation of Caregiving as Described in Real-Time Online Group Chat | Caregivers of people with cancer |
| McKechnie et al [54] | The Effectiveness of an Internet Support Forum for Carers of People With Dementia: A Pre-Post Cohort Study | Caregivers of people with dementia |
| Mohd Roffeei et al [55] | Seeking Social Support on Facebook for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) | Parents of children with ASDs |
| Oprescu et al [56] | Online Information Exchanges for Parents of Children With a Rare Health Condition: Key Findings From an Online Support Community | Parents of children with clubfoot |
| Trail et al [57]c | The Relationship Between Engagement in Online Support Groups and Social Isolation Among Military Caregivers: Longitudinal Questionnaire Study | Caregivers of military personnel |
| Washington et al [58] | Factors Influencing Engagement in an Online Support Group for Family Caregivers of Individuals With Advanced Cancer | Caregivers of people with cancer |
| Yoo et al [59] | Sociocultural Determinants of Negative Emotions Among Dementia Caregivers in the United States and in Korea: A Content Analysis of Online Support Groups | Caregivers of people with dementia |
aThis study used data from the same randomized pragmatic trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (R01CA203999).
bASD: autism spectrum disorder.
cThese studies used the same online support group (OSG) for part or all of their research sample: the Military Veteran Caregiver Network (MVCN).