Chronically Ill Teens Turn To Internet For Peer Support, Research...( d universally. More than hal...),Health

More than half of all interactions occurred at the message board, where teens conversed with one another about living with CF and other, more common teen issues. Researchers found a significant increase in the perceptions of the group when asked if they had friends with CF they could relate to, leading them to conclude that an Internet-based program can increase important peer support for children with chronic diseases. The site also helped the teenagers bond with one another in a close support network that will grow increasingly more important as they get sicker, researchers said.

"Many of these teens may have never met another kid with cystic fibrosis," said Ravert, who manages the Web site and monitors messages. "On Hopkins Teen Central, they talk to one another about their common problems as CF patients but also about everyday teen issues."

The teens currently signed on to Hopkins Teen Central are patients at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and live in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Baltimore-based Grant-A-Wish Foundation recently launched the Dreamsurfer Network, bringing the Hopkins Teen Central model to hospitals across the country. Access the Dreamsurfer Network at www.dreamsurfer.org.

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Contact: Staci Vernick
svernick@jhmi.edu
410-223-1747
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
1-May-1999