Giving Care, Seeking Help: Examining the Role of Online Social Platforms for Remote Mental Health Supporters

Remote mental health supporters, family members, partners, and friends assisting their loved ones with mental illness from afar, face heightened risks of psychological distress. To better understand their support needs, we surveyed 154 remote supporters to investigate their online platform use for social support. Remote supporters reported using various platforms (e.g., Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook), with significant differences in perceived quality of the support they receive: Discord rated highest in emotional, informational, and companion support, while YouTube rated the lowest. Our analysis showed that perceived closeness with platform users and likelihood of discussing support were significantly associated with perceived support. Moreover, perceived emotional support and individual loneliness significantly predicted frequency of platform usage. Our findings demonstrate the importance of distinguishing between platforms and their specific supportive functions. Furthermore, features that facilitate closer interactions appear to enhance the perceived social support that remote mental health supporters receive from online communities, potentially improving their caregiving experience. We conclude by discussing design implications for platforms to better support remote mental health caregivers’ emotional, companion, and informational needs.