Evaluation of computerized text analysis in an Internet breast cancer support group

Although support groups are widely available on the Internet, little is known about the conversations in them. We hypothesized that automatic text analysis may be a powerful tool helping to understand what is communicated in these groups. In an exploratory study, the postings of nine women participating in a semi-structured breast cancer support group program were analyzed with a human rater and with Pennebaker and Francis' text analysis software (LIWC). The computer scores on most of the selected word categories and human ratings were moderately correlated. This indicates concurrent validity of the LIWC. An indication for construct validity was found by comparing the LIWC scores of the on-line group with those of other texts. Automated text analysis should be further developed for on-line discussions where they may serve as a useful tool for group moderators and researchers.