Exploring how children express feelings and emotions in an online support group

• The emotional content of children’s online messages is explored.
• Children found similar others online and often shared intimate emotional concerns.
• Children revealed difficulties in coping with conflicting emotions.
• Emotions confided included feeling hurt, confused, scared and jealous.
• Children felt confident in the online environment to express intense emotions.

Support groups provide opportunities for participants to express and get in touch with their feelings and emotions. For children such groups provide a non-threatening environment in which they can share their feelings and concerns openly with one another. The wide range of social networking options made easily accessible via mobile technologies has seen children increasingly connecting with their peers in search of emotional support. For parents and professionals alike the question arises as to whether these online groups provide the positive support environment necessary to ensure children feel comfortable sharing their emotional concerns. In this study qualitative content analysis of the communications shared between the young members of an online support group for siblings of children with special needs revealed that participants felt confident to openly express a range of strong feelings and emotions, including hate, love, confusion, hurt, fear, jealousy and embarrassment.