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The Discussion of Avoidant and Approach Coping Strategies in Depression-Related Reddit Posts : A Text Mining Approach Using Topic Modelling
Vogtmeier, Lino C.J. (2025) The Discussion of Avoidant and Approach Coping Strategies in Depression-Related Reddit Posts : A Text Mining Approach Using Topic Modelling.
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| Abstract: | Depression is the most pervasive mental disorder worldwide. Due to limited access to professional help, many people rely on coping strategies to manage the symptoms independently. Avoidant coping correlates with increased severity of depression, whereas approach coping is considered the most effective way to deal with the challenges of depression. In search of support, people often turn to online forums like Reddit, where a high prevalence of depression-related posts can be found. However, which coping strategies are most frequently discussed and recommended there has not been a subject of research yet. This study therefore investigated the discussion of avoidant and approach coping across depression-related posts from different subreddits, by applying a text-mining approach. A dataset containing over 35,000 posts from six subreddits was analysed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). Approach coping was discussed more frequently across all subreddits, compared to avoidant coping. The frequency of coping strategy discussions varied significantly (p < .001) between subreddits, with r/selfimprovement showing the highest prevalence of approach-oriented posts. The findings of this study underline the feasibility and potential of LDA as a method to evaluate the coping strategies discussed on mental health forums and offer insight into the support available across different subreddits. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 50 technical science in general, 70 social sciences in general, 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/108001 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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