Measures

The questionnaire was initially developed in English and then translated into French by experts in both languages. The measures, provided in Tables 32.1, 32.2, 32.3, 32.4 and

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32.5, used a seven-point Likert scales (Joinson et al. 2007). Participants were asked to visualize the average participants of their virtual community and to write their names (or pseudos) and a description of each participant up to five persons (See Table 32.1 and Annex 6.3.1.4)

Table 32.1 Constructs and measures for social value Relevant

How strong would you say the explicit or implicit

agreement is among each of the following to interact with on the Internet as a group sometime during the next two weeks or so?

How attached are you to the group you mentioned above?

(seven-point “Not at all–Very much” scale) How strong would you say your feelings of belongingness are toward the group you mentioned above?

Please indicate to what degree your self- image overlaps with the identity of the group of friends as you perceive it (seven-point “Not at all–Very much” scale)

How would you express the degree of overlap between your personal identity and the identity of the group you mentioned above when you are actually part of the group and engaging in group activities?

I am a valuable member of the group (seven-point “Agree–Disagree” scale) I am an important member of the group (seven-point “Agree–Disagree” scale)

(Dholakia et al.

2004; Luhtanen and Crocker

1992)

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Table 32.2 Constructs and measures for utilitarian value Relevant

How often do you use your online group for satisfying the following needs?

How often do you use your online group for satisfying the following needs?

How often do you use your online group for satisfying the following needs?

Table 32.3 Constructs and measures for anticipated emotions Relevant

If I am able to interact together on the Internet with the group during the next two weeks, I will feel

Relief

If I am able to interact together on the Internet with the group during the next two weeks, I will feel

Angry

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Table 32.4 Constructs and measures for trust Relevant

Patients’ virtual communities web site provides inaccurate medical information

(seven-point “Not at all-Very much” scale)

There are many errors in the medical information I obtain from the patients’ virtual communities web site (seven-point “Not at all-Very much” scale)

I am concerned that the information I submit on the Internet could be misused

I am concerned about submitting information on the Internet, because of what others might do with it I am concerned about submitting information on the Internet, because it could be used in a way I did not foresee

Being able to control the personal information I provide to a website is important to me

(seven-point “Strongly disagree-Strongly agree” scale)

(Dinev and Hart 2004)

Table 32.5 Constructs and measures for desires, intentional collective action, habits, online collective action

Relevant

Facet Measures Original Scale

Desires

Three measures

I desire to interact together on the Internet with the group I mentioned above during the next two weeks

(seven-point “Strongly disagree-Strongly agree” scale) My desire for interacting together on the Internet with the group I mentioned above during the next two weeks can be described as (seven-point “No desire at all-Very, very strong desire” scale)

I want to interact together on the Internet with the group I mentioned above during the next two weeks

(seven-point “Does not describe me at all-Describes me very well” scale)

How strong would you say is your intention and the intention of each of the following people to interact with together on the Internet sometime during the next two weeks or so?

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Habits

Three measures

Browsing at virtual patients’ communities I log onto, is something …

...that makes me feel weird if I do not do it (seven-point “Not at all-Very much” scale)

…I do without thinking

(seven-point “Not at all-Very much” scale) ...that has become a routine for me (seven-point “Not at all-Very much” scale)

(Chiu et al. 2012)

Use Frequency

Eleven measures

How often do you use your online community Cancer Contribution for satisfying the following needs?

To provide others with information To contribute to a pool of information To learn about myself and others

To pass the time away when bored To feel important for others

How strongly committed would you say the following are to interacting together as a group on the Internet

sometimes during the next two weeks or so?

Me

Several constructs have been modeled as second order formative constructs with reflective subconstructs. Others are reflective constructs, following both the literature and the insights which emerged from the qualitative study.

For instance, habits is a reflective construct that measures to what extent patients’

logging onto patients’ virtual community is an automatic behavior. We used the metrics of Chiu et al. (2012) for this construct.

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Use frequency is a formative construct that measures how often patients join the virtual communities to satisfy various needs. We used the metrics of Dholakia et al. (2004) for this construct.

Intentional collective action is a formative construct that measures to which degree patients might intend to interact together on the Internet with the group during the next two weeks, based on Dholakia et al. (2004)’s metrics. Similarly, desires is a formative construct that measures to which degree patients might desire to act in the same way, using the same metrics.

Affective social identity, cognitive social identity and evaluative social identity are formative constructs that also used the metrics of Dholakia et al. (2004) to measure: i) how attached are patients to the group, ii) to what degree patient’s self-image overlaps with the group and iii) to what extend the patient considers being a valuable member of the group.

Group norms is a formative construct that used the metrics of Dholakia et al. (2004) relating to the shared agreement among patients to participate online in the next two weeks following the question.

Isolation rupture is a reflective construct using the metrics of Dholakia et al. (2004) that measures how often patients connect on virtual communities to feel less lonely.

Information needs and instrumental needs are reflective constructs using the metrics of Dholakia et al. (2004) that measures how often patients connect on virtual communities to: i) get information and ii) solve problems.

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Anticipated positive emotions and anticipated negative emotions are formative constructs using the metrics of Bagozzi et al. (1998) that measure whether patients will experience positive or negative feelings while interacting together on the Internet with the group during the next two week following the question.

Inaccurate medical information is a reflective construct based on the metrics of Vance et al. (2008) that measures to what extent patients face errors in the medical information from the patients’ virtual communities web site.

Privacy concerns is a reflective construct based on the metrics of Dinev and Hart (2004) that measures, to what extent, patients are concerned that the information they submit on the Internet could be misused.

Finally, online collective action is a formative construct. It measures how committed patients are to interact online, together as a group in the next two weeks following the question. For this construct, we used the metrics of Dholakia et al. (2004).