Formation & evolution
The psychological and social mechanisms that make supportive communities emerge, grow and persist.
← Research
Research line
Online Well-Being
Supportive information environments and online self-help communities: their dynamics and their effect on well-being.
Supportive Information Environments (SIEs) are online spaces where people share personal experiences, look for information and give and receive support from others facing similar challenges.
Easy, on-demand and often anonymous communication can help people who struggle with face-to-face interaction. In the last decade this has fuelled the growth of online self-help groups, peer networks where people who have gone through a difficulty offer hope and support to others. Understanding how these interactions affect individuals and society is the first step towards strategies that enhance their benefits and mitigate their risks.
What we look at
Impact on members
Whether, and how, taking part in a supportive environment improves the well-being of its members.
Early warning signals
Linguistic and behavioural cues that may anticipate the onset of distress, so that support can come earlier.
Objectives
- 1
Understand the psychological and social mechanisms behind the formation and evolution of SIEs.
- 2
Evaluate the impact of SIEs on the well-being of their members.
- 3
Identify early warning signals that may indicate the onset of mental health issues.
Related publications
All publications-
PhDGPT: Measuring bias in academic mental health across quantised and uncensored LLMs
Information Processing & Management, 64(2)@article{deduro2027phdgpt, title = {PhDGPT: Measuring bias in academic mental health across quantised and uncensored LLMs}, author = {Duro, Edoardo S. De and Taietta, Enrique and D'Alfonso, S. and Bentenuto, A. and Rossetti, Giulio and Stella, Massimo}, journal = {Information Processing \& Management}, year = {2027}, volume = {64}, number = {2}, pages = {105173}, } -
Reddit Depression Communities as Spaces of Emotion Regulation: A Data-Informed Analysis of Coping and Engagement
Future Internet, 18(4)@article{morini2026reddit, title = {Reddit Depression Communities as Spaces of Emotion Regulation: A Data-Informed Analysis of Coping and Engagement}, author = {Morini, Virginia and Citraro, Salvatore and Sajno, Elena and Sansoni, Maria and Riva, G and Stella, Massimo and Rossetti, Giulio}, journal = {Future Internet}, year = {2026}, volume = {18}, number = {4}, pages = {198--198}, doi = {10.3390/fi18040198}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/fi18040198}, publisher = {Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute}, } -
Participant behavior and community response in online mental health communities: Insights from Reddit
Computers in Human Behavior, 165@article{morini2024participant, title = {Participant behavior and community response in online mental health communities: Insights from Reddit}, author = {Morini, Virginia and Sansoni, Maria and Rossetti, Giulio and Pedreschi, Dino and Castillo, Carlos}, journal = {Computers in Human Behavior}, year = {2024}, volume = {165}, pages = {108544--108544}, doi = {10.1016/j.chb.2024.108544}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108544}, publisher = {Elsevier BV}, } -
Online posting effects: Unveiling the non-linear journeys of users in depression communities on Reddit
Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 17@article{morini2024online, title = {Online posting effects: Unveiling the non-linear journeys of users in depression communities on Reddit}, author = {Morini, Virginia and Citraro, Salvatore and Sajno, Elena and Sansoni, Maria and Riva, Giuseppe and Stella, Massimo and Rossetti, Giulio}, journal = {Computers in Human Behavior Reports}, year = {2024}, volume = {17}, pages = {100542--100542}, doi = {10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100542}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100542}, publisher = {Elsevier BV}, } -
Who can help me? Reconstructing users’ psychological journeys in depression-related social media interactions
arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.17684@article{morini2023can, title = {Who can help me? Reconstructing users' psychological journeys in depression-related social media interactions}, author = {Morini, Virginia and Citraro, Salvatore and Sajno, Elena and Sansoni, Maria and Riva, Giuseppe and Stella, Massimo and Rossetti, Giulio}, journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.17684}, year = {2023}, } -
Cognitive network neighbourhoods quantify feelings expressed in suicide notes and Reddit mental health communities
Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications@article{marina2022cognitive, title = {Cognitive network neighbourhoods quantify feelings expressed in suicide notes and Reddit mental health communities}, author = {Marina Joseph, Simmi and Citraro, Salvatore and Morini, Virginia and Rossetti, Giulio and Stella, Massimo}, journal = {Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications}, year = {2022}, } -
Cognitive network science quantifies feelings expressed in suicide letters and Reddit mental health communities
https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.15269@article{joseph2021cognitive, title = {Cognitive network science quantifies feelings expressed in suicide letters and Reddit mental health communities}, author = {Joseph, Simmi Marina and Citraro, Salvatore and Morini, Virginia and Rossetti, Giulio and Stella, Massimo}, journal = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.15269}, year = {2021}, }