Metadata Correction: How Patients With Schizophrenia Use the Internet: Qualitative Study

Abstract

Reports an error in "How patients with schizophrenia use the Internet: Qualitative study" by Beate Schrank, Ingrid Sibitz, Annemarie Unger and Michaela Amering (Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2010, Vol 12[5], 134-146). The authors have inadvertently declared on submission that all authors contributed equally. The author Schrank should have been listed as the sole first author, with the authors Sibitz, Unger, and Amering listed as co-authors, with adequate but not equal contributions. All authors have agreed to remove the "equal contribution" footnote (see Multimedia Appendix). Consequently, the "equal contribution" footnote has been removed in the corrected version of the paper on the JMIR website together with publishing this correction notice on July 30, 2014. A correction notice has been sent to PubMed and the correct full-text has been resubmitted to Pubmed Central and other full-text repositories. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2012-05853-013.) Background: The Internet is an important source of health information for people with psychiatric conditions. Little is known about the way patients with schizophrenia use the Internet when it comes to issues related to their illness. Data on their specific needs, difficulties, and the consequences related to Internet use are lacking. Objective: Our objective was to investigate the nature and subjective consequences of health-related Internet use among patients with schizophrenia. Methods: In all, 26 individual semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed qualitatively in groups of 4 until theoretical saturation was achieved. Results: Study results suggest that the Internet is an influential source of illness-related information for patients with schizophrenia. Many aspects of their behavior around the Internet resemble those of individuals not afflicted by mental illness. Importantly, problems specific to patients with schizophrenia were stimulus overflow, an inability to deal with the abundance of information, difficulties with concentration, lack of energy, paranoid ideas, symptom provocation, and the need to distance themselves from illness-related topics as part of the recovery process. Internet information was subjectively perceived as having the potential to significantly change patients' attitudes toward medication and their relationships with doctors. Conclusions: These findings provide insight into how individuals with schizophrenia handle illness-related Internet information. The data could contribute to the continuous development of Internet-based interventions and offer novel approaches to optimizing traditional treatment options. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)