Men experiencing infertility face unique challenges navigating Traditional Masculinity Ideologies that discourage emotional expression and help-seeking. This study examines how Reddit's r/maleinfertility community helps overcome these barriers through digital support networks. Using topic modeling (115 topics), network analysis (11 micro-communities), and time-lagged regression on 11,095 posts and 79,503 comments from 8,644 users, we found the community functions as a hybrid space: informal diagnostic hub, therapeutic commons, and governed institution. Medical advice dominates discourse (63.3\%), while emotional support (7.4\%) and moderation (29.2\%) create essential infrastructure. Sustained engagement correlates with actionable guidance and affiliation language, not emotional processing. Network analysis revealed structurally cohesive but topically diverse clusters without echo chamber characteristics. Cross-posters (20\% of users) who bridge r/maleinfertility and the gender-mixed r/infertility community serve as navigators and mentors, transferring knowledge between spaces. These findings inform trauma-informed design for stigmatized health communities, highlighting role-aware systems and navigation support.
翻译:经历不育症的男性在应对传统男性气质意识形态时面临独特挑战,这种意识形态往往抑制情感表达与求助行为。本研究通过分析Reddit的r/maleinfertility社区,探讨数字支持网络如何帮助克服这些障碍。通过对8,644名用户发布的11,095篇主帖和79,503条评论进行主题建模(115个主题)、网络分析(11个微社区)以及时滞回归分析,我们发现该社区发挥着混合空间的功能:非正式诊断中心、治疗性公共空间及受监管的机构。医疗建议在讨论中占主导地位(63.3%),而情感支持(7.4%)与社区管理(29.2%)构成了关键基础设施。持续参与度与可操作性指导及归属性语言相关,而非情感处理过程。网络分析显示社区存在结构紧密但主题多元的聚类,未出现信息茧房特征。跨社区发帖者(占用户20%)连接着r/maleinfertility与性别混合的r/infertility社区,扮演着导航者与导师角色,在空间间传递知识。这些发现为受污名化健康社区的创伤知情设计提供了参考,凸显了角色感知系统与导航支持的重要性。