Support, information seeking, and homophily in a virtual support group for adoptive parents: Impact on perceived empathy

Despite the use of virtual support groups among adoptive parents, very few studies have empirically examined outcomes of participating in these groups. This research brief investigated the impact of perceived social support, information seeking effectiveness, and homophily on perceived empathy within a pilot-phase virtual support group for adoptive parents (N = 27) in one southeastern state. Researchers also examined the moderating effect of homophily on these relationships. Findings suggest that while perceived social support was significantly positively related to perceived empathy, there was no association between perceived information seeking effectiveness and perceived empathy. Of variables of interest for this study, only homophily uniquely predicted empathy and was not a moderator in other models. While findings lend credence to the notion that perceived similarities among participants is important, there are implications for developing diverse, inclusive adoptive parent support groups. This brief discusses results from this study and apposite areas for future research.