Emotional Journey Research Articles

The emotional journey of adapting to prenatally identified trisomy X.

There is a paucity of research on the experiences of parents of children with trisomy X (47,XXX). Increased prenatal diagnoses associated with advances in noninvasive prenatal screening necessitate a better understanding of how trisomy X impacts family systems. This qualitative investigation aimed to describe the lived experience of parents of young daughters with prenatally identified trisomy X to guide genetic counseling. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted via teleconferencing with parents (n = 11) of girls with trisomy X, ages 6-44 months. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to code transcripts for significant statements and reduce data into themes describing the experience of receiving a diagnosis of trisomy X and the experience of early parenting in this population. Participants described an emotional journey of adapting to prenatally identified trisomy X. Four descriptive themes included two related, yet distinct, life stages: Negative Diagnostic Experience and a Hopeful Early Childhood, as well as two ongoing experiences: Persistent Ambiguity and Coping with and Adapting to Uncertainty. Results suggest providers should carefully consider word choice and timing in delivery of diagnosis, and genetic counseling should provide expectant parents with current research specific to trisomy X, facilitate connections with other parents of young girls with trisomy X, introduce developmental monitoring approaches, and be prepared to support families with a range of emotional responses to the diagnosis and decisions regarding disclosure.

Motivational and emotional states in self-directed language learning: a longitudinal study

The current longitudinal case study investigated emotional and motivational states in a self-directed and mobile-assisted language learning environment. The participant of the study was a highly motivated language learner who used the Busuu application for a period of one year to learn German. Tracing the participant’s emotional and motivational journey using solicited diaries and chat-based interviews, the study revealed that the process of self-directed language learning is associated with the experience of a variety of positive and negative emotions. Joy, hope, and interest were the prevailing positive emotions that were linked to learning vocabulary; and frustration, anger, and feeling annoyed were the negative emotions in relation to learning grammar and pronunciation. In general, the study found a strong connection between positive emotions and persistence in self-directed language learning. The findings also pointed to some possible causes of high dropouts in application based language learning, as lack of enough resources for learning some language skills (such as grammar) initiated and implicated extensive processes of negative emotions. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in mobile-assisted language learning, and calls for further research regarding the role of emotions in technology-based and self-directed learning environments.

Supplemental Material for Distances and Directions: An Emotional Journey Into the Recovery Process

Supplemental Material for Distances and Directions: An Emotional Journey Into the Recovery Process

Knitting out the Touch Hunger

The pandemic has altered human attitudes affecting common gestures: hugs, kisses, hands shaking, all the human behaviors related to touching have become dangerous, generating what scientists called “touch hunger”. If with touch we define ourselves as our form of being in the world we are in front of complex touch-related costs that make people today feel lost and distant. Starting from this premise, the research team in the knit design of ***affiliation*** has been working to relate scientific data and innovative design languages to help people in redefining and rediscover the human attitudes that connect us with others. Exploiting digital technologies, innovative materials, and tactile surfaces belonging to the world of knitwear and textiles, researchers designed an emotional and sensorial journey to guide participants in overcoming the fear of touching, finding new possible ways of being together.

Where Do We Go from Here? A Co-authored Autoethnographic Reflection on the Emotional Labor of Qualitative Interviewing and How to Navigate It

As qualitative interviewers, we know firsthand that the emotional labor of interviewing does not stop at the interview; rather, interviewers continue to carry the emotional labor as they “re-tell” interviewees’ stories with credibility and compassion. This research offers our autoethnographic reflections on conducting qualitative interviews with public service practitioners around topics of gender and motivation, relying on our observations and immersive experiences from interview research. Too often following interviews, we seem to ask ourselves “Where do we go from here?” as we struggle to make sense of stories from interviewees. We argue being prepared to embrace the emotional labor associated with qualitative research is necessary for producing meaningful qualitative work in public administration. Through vignettes of our own research experiences, this work helps to convey the powerful opportunities that qualitative research offers practitioners and scholars of public administration. We offer our experiences and coping strategies for fellow researchers as they engage in the emotional, intimate, and intense journey of conducting qualitative research. In doing so, we illustrate how embracing the emotional labor of interviewing can lead to liberatory and rich new understandings in researching a variety of contemporary issues in public administration.

Socio-Psychological Challenges of Women Having Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS can have a substantial socio-psychological influence on women's lives, along with its clinical symptoms.This qualitative phenomenological investigation observed the emotions, body image, societal stigma, interactions, and coping techniques of women with PCOS. In-depth interviews with a varied group of women highlighted several major themes, including the difficult emotional journey, challenges with a perception of oneself and body image, loneliness or ostracism, and the value of support and connection networks. The study's findings have crucial consequences for healthcare practitioners, politicians, and people with PCOS. Understanding the particular issues that these women encounter allows healthcare practitioners to deliver more comprehensive and compassionate treatment. Policymakers may also create legislation to benefit women experiencing PCOS and decrease the prejudice associated with the disorder.Lastly, women with PCOS may utilize the study's findings in order to comprehend their own circumstances and develop solutions to manage the difficulties they confront.

Effectiveness of Pre-Admission Videos to Improve Patient and Family Engagement in Paediatric Congenital Cardiac Surgery

Paediatric cardiac surgery is an emotional and challenging journey for patients and families, often leading to high stress and anxiety. They start their journey not knowing what lies ahead, with limited understanding of what to expect, and a feeling of being overwhelmed.

The emotional experience of treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer: Qualitative research findings from Brazil, China, Germany and the US.

e24217 Background: Little has been reported on the emotional journey of women treated for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). This study aimed to understand the expectations and experience of these women. Methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted in 2022 among women diagnosed with LACC in the past 2 years in Brazil (BR), China (CH), Germany (DE) and the US. This research elicited voices representing diverse demographic & socioeconomic groups. Trained moderators asked questions about experience and emotions during the journey from diagnosis through treatment. Transcripts were coded using NVivo qualitative analysis software to identify key themes that emerged from the data. Results: Ninety-two women in the US (n = 26), BR (n = 25), CH (n = 25), and DE (n = 16) participated, with mean age ranging from 35.7 years in BR to 53.4 years in DE. At the time of treatment decision, women reported receiving information about what to expect during treatment, including information about short and long term side effects of treatment (US 13/21, BR 14/22, CH 6/21, DE 6/9). Several women reported their doctor raising the chance to be cured after surgery/treatment (US 3/21, BR 12/22, CH 3/21, DE 1/9) and many women asked about prognosis (US 1/5, BR 2/6, CH9/17, DE 2/6). While most women reported that their doctors answered their questions and came away with positive feelings, some came away with negative feelings, did not ask questions generally (10/54) about diagnosis (7/37) and/or treatment (5/18) and blamed themselves (US 1/1, BR 1/2, CH2/3, DE 1/4). “No, I didn’t [believe all my questions were answered], but I believed the problem was about myself. At that moment, I had no idea what questions I should ask my doctor.” CN06 “No. As I was alone, I was so scared that I did not ask much.” BR25 Women shared that positive parts of their cancer journey were (a) gratitude and personal growth, (b) receiving support or making connections, (c) appreciation for their HCPs. Women noted negative aspects including (a) dealing with cancer or side effects, (b) facing death, recurrence or knowing others who have died, (c) encountering negative or unsupportive reactions from others. At the time of interview, most women (n = 68/92) described their general health as good, even while some continued experiencing minor symptoms or treatment side effects. Negative impacts of LACC included feelings of denial, worry, depression, fear, and worsening health. Conclusions: Currently, women report both positive and negative aspects of their LACC treatment decision and cancer care journey. A better understanding of women’s feelings when deciding on treatment, including feelings about how information needs are addressed, can promote a more positive interaction with the healthcare system, satisfaction with LACC treatment, experience living with the impact of the treatment they chose, and outlook for the future.

Transition theory and the emotional journey to medical educator identity: A qualitative interview study.

Medical academia is in crisis, with fewer people entering and growing concern at numbers leaving. While faculty development is often seen as part of the solution, there are significant issues with faculty not engaging with and resisting development opportunities. Lack of motivation may be linked to what might be called a 'weak' educator identity. We studied medical educators' experiences of career development to gain further insights into: how professional identity may develop; individuals' accompanying emotional responses to perceived identity change; and consideration of the accompanying temporal dimensions. Drawing on new materialist sociology, we explore medical educator identity formation in terms of an affective flow that places the individual within a constantly shifting assemblage of psychological, emotional and social relations. We interviewed 20 medical educators at various career stages, with differing strengths of medical educator self-identity. Using an adapted transition model as a basis for understanding the emotions experienced by those undergoing identity transitions, we explore the process that, for some medical educators, appears to lead to decreased motivation, ambiguous identity and disengagement, but for others results in renewed energy, a stronger and more stable professional identity and increased interest and engagement. By more effectively illustrating the emotional impact of the transition process leading to a more stable educator identity, we show that some individuals, especially where the change was not sought or welcomed, express their uncertainty and distress through low mood, resistance and an attempt to minimise the significance of undertaking or increasing teaching duties. Understanding the emotional and developmental phases of the transition to medical educator identity has several key implications for faculty development. Faculty development approaches should be alert to the individual educator's stage of transition since this will affect that individual's readiness to accept and respond to guidance, information and support. A renewed emphasis on early educational approaches that will support the transformational and reflective learning of the individual is needed, while traditional approaches emphasising skills and knowledge may be more useful in the later stages. Further testing of the transition model and its applicability to identity development in medical education is indicated.

“I wanted information”: navigating breast Cancer and its treatment in Lima, Peru

BackgroundBreast cancer impacts millions of people worldwide, and in Peru, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer related death among women. Breast cancer treatment is physically and emotionally burdensome and challenging for patients.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with 14 female breast cancer patients and survivors in Lima, Peru. The interviews explored four main themes: the women’s emotional experiences, coping mechanisms, resources available or needed, and advice for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.ResultsRespondents described a tremendous lack of informational support during and after diagnosis and treatment and requested more of this support from health professionals. Social support groups were helpful to participants; however, these forms of support were not available to all participants. Emotional and esteem support seemed amply received from family and friends, faith organizations, and fellow cancer patients. Participants experienced a range of emotions upon diagnosis and during treatment including fear, anxiety, difficulty accepting bodily changes, loneliness, and denial.ConclusionBreast cancer and its treatment can be a long, emotional journey; more extensive forms of informational support could help patients cope with this process.

Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang

Reviewed by: Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang Danica Ronquillo Tang, Betty C. Parachute Kids; written and illus. by Betty C. Tang. Graphix/ Scholastic, 2023 [288p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781338832693 $24.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781338832686 $12.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-7 It's February 1981, and ten-year-old Feng-Li is excited to go on vacation to America with her family, only to be confused and enraged when she and her siblings find out they'll be staying in California permanently while their parents go back to Taiwan. Not only are the kids leaving their friends and old life behind in Taiwan, but they must adapt to a new country and confront new problems. Feng-Li is struggling to learn English while taking on adult responsibilities; Jia-Xi is striving for perfection at school while juggling household responsibilities; and Ke-Gāng is trying to be the ideal son while figuring out his sexual identity. Besides having to negotiate peace between her bickering siblings, Feng-Li must also worry about the threat from law enforcement and the children's status as undocumented immigrants. Tang's debut graphic novel effectively telegraphs the characters' fears and anxieties with focused perspectives and animated panels, underscoring the obstacles immigrants must face, and the language barrier is represented in different colored speech bubbles to represent Mandarin and English. There are joyful and humorous moments to help the children cope with their feelings of abandonment and loneliness, and despite breaking promises and making mistakes, Feng-Li's parents have good intentions to provide them the best opportunities in America at a time when Taiwan is facing political issues. The siblings' emotional journey and ultimate ability to appreciate and honor both Western and Taiwanese cultures with friends and family make an aspirational model for young people trying to make the best of relocating in unforeseen situations. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

THE HUMAN TOUCH IN THE SHORT STORIES KUSUM AND THE RIOT OF KHUSHWANT SINGH

This paper delves into the realm of psychoanalytic analysis to explore the significance of the human touch in the short stories Kusum and the Riot by Khushwant Singh. Through a detailed examination of the characters, themes, and narrative structures in these two stories, this study aims to shed light on the profound psychological implications of physical touch and its impact on human behaviour. Drawing on Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, this paper investigates how touch serves as a catalyst for emotional and psychological transformations in the lives of the characters. It explores the complexities of touch as an embodiment of love, desire, power, and violence, and how it influences the characters' relationships, self-perception, and actions. In Kusum, the narrative revolves around the eponymous protagonist and her emotional journey of self-discovery. By analyzing the significance of physical touch in Kusum's relationships with various individuals, including her husband, lover, and the eunuch, this paper uncovers the hidden desires, conflicts, and repressed emotions that shape her character. The Riot delves into the aftermath of a violent religious conflict and its impact on the lives of the characters. Through a psychoanalytic lens, this study examines the role of touch in the characters' responses to trauma, their attempts to heal, and their reestablishment of human connections amidst the chaos and despair of the riotstricken world. By employing a psychoanalytic framework, this term paper aims to unveil the underlying psychological motivations and effects of touch in these stories. The analysis of Kusum and The Riot offers valuable insights into the human psyche, providing a deeper understanding of the characters' behaviours, desires, and struggles within the context of Khushwant Singh's narrative world.

Unmet needs of people with epilepsy: A qualitative study exploring their journey from presentation to long-term management across five European countries.

Epilepsy is a neurological disease that can negatively impact a person's physical, psychological, social, and emotional well-being. The aim of this study was to provide insights into the experiences of people with epilepsy on polytherapy (i.e., people on a combination of two or more anti-seizure medications [ASMs]), with an emphasis on their emotional journey. Market research was conducted with 40 people with epilepsy from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using both a content and framework analysis approach. A content analysis of participants' expressed emotions was used to illustrate the changes of emotions experienced by people with epilepsy from presentation through to monitoring and follow-up stages. In each stage of the journey, themes and subthemes were identified under the overarching headings: Stage 1: Presentation - Life is turned upside down; Stage 2: Diagnosis - Period of learning; Stage 3: Treatment - Aspirations and experimentation; and Stage 4: Monitoring and follow-up - Feeling "out on a limb". The research identified key unmet needs and opportunities for people with epilepsy to improve their subjective experiences at different stages of their disease journey, namely: (1) establish and promote support networks from presentation through to monitoring and follow-up stages; (2) accelerate pathway to diagnosis; (3) provide opportunities to discuss the diagnosis with patients; (4) clarify treatment-change guidelines for patients; and (5) develop a shared treatment decision-making/empowerment tool. The research findings and recommendations have the potential to drive change at an individual level, as well as at a healthcare level.

A Broaden-and-Build Theoretical Perspective on Dark Tourism Visitors’ Transformative Emotional Journeys

Emotions are at the epicenter of dark tourism, where visitors are confronted with topics relating to death and suffering and experience heightened emotional responses. Using the Broaden-and-Build model as a theoretical lens, we aim to examine the process through which visitors’ unpleasant emotions can transform into positive ones at a dark tourism site. The findings from interviews and photo-elicitation with visitors at the Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois, indicate that emotions in dark tourism are momentary experiences with enduring effects, contributing to building personal resources for future activism and well-being. The study expands the Broaden-and-Build model by incorporating negative emotions into the positive upward spiral of broadened thoughts and actions, building enduring personal resources and long-lasting well-being from dark tourism visitors’ emotional journeys.

How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford (review)

Reviewed by: How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford Kara Forde Weatherford, Carole Boston How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee; illus. by Frank Morrison. Candlewick, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536215540 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 2-6 As a smart kid whose idea of fun was reading the dictionary, MacNolia Cox excelled at spelling, and after winning her school spelling bee in 1936, she advanced to compete at the city level. She correctly spelled words like brusque, felicitate, and voluble to become the first African American to win the Akron spelling bee, which came with a prize of twenty-five dollars and a trip to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. However, at the event, MacNolia, her mother, and the only other African-American contestant were segregated from the white participants. In the final rounds, MacNolia misspelled a word that her supporters contested was not on the official list, but the white, Southern judges disagreed. Weatherford cleverly structures this picture book biography around the repetition of the question "Can you spell…?" to highlight words and themes germane to young MacNolia's experiences with the fame, pressure, and racist discrimination of the spelling competitions at every level. Smooth oil and spray paint illustrations emanate the characteristic warm richness of Morrison's art, and a balance between the neutral color palette and pops of jewel tones at key moments guides readers' emotional journey through the narrative. A foreword frames MacNolia's story with information about the racist ideas that underpinned the segregation of Black and white kids in spelling competitions, and an epilogue briefly describes MacNolia's later life and chronicles the efforts to integrate spelling bees, followed by a select bibliography. Despite stylistic similarities to Weatherford and Morrison's other biography collaboration R-E-S-PE-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (BCCB 07/20), this story is superb in its own right, and would complement The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (BCCB 11/14) in a social studies lesson that explores words through a human lens. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Leaders' Strategies for Managing Difficult Emotions During Peak Waves of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study on Senior Managers of Textile Industry in Pakistan

The study focuses on difficult emotions experienced by the functional heads of two leading textile companies in Pakistan during the peak waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. It explicates the coping strategies developed at individual and group levels and provides a unique indigenous narrative of how leaders manage their emotional journey during the pandemic. The research design was qualitative, and in-depth semi-structured interviews were the primary method for data collection. The findings highlighted that the participants experienced fear, anxiety, loneliness, and frustration due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it also unveiled the measures adopted at organizational and national levels to manage and contain the viral spread. Furthermore, managers who accepted their own and their teammates' emotions were able to develop effective coping strategies to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes towards understanding human emotions in the workplace and how organizational leadership inculcates different coping strategies to process these emotions.

Determinant Analysis of Divorce in Wolaita Sodo Town: In Case of Wadu Kebele, Snnpr, Ethiopia

Marriage is the very beautiful gift which Allah given to his human being. It gives pleasure, security, peace, and family. In life there is happiness and worries which men or women have to face and try to solve problems. Relation of husband and wife makes life beautiful and loveable, but unfortunately most of the couples these days fail to understand its beauty and charm. They mostly quarrel with each other and create misunderstandings, and end of this can be in the separation or divorce. Divorce is an emotional journey, due to this reason they have different impacts, among thus the children remains without family, street children number is increase, affected by a disease emotional disobedience occurred in children and other. All over the world the divorce rate among the couples is increasing an alarming rate. Rising of divorce rate has affected the economic structure of the country, as well as the world. The main objective of this study is to identify the effect of determinant of divorce. The source of the data is primary that can be obtained through structured questioner from the selected respondents. The samples required to the study were selected using simple random sampling. The study is analyzed using descriptive study such as frequency, percentage and inferential statistics like logistic Regression. As a result, there are 14.3% of the people are separated and 85.7% of the people are not separated. From this: age, religious, education, income, family size, family influence, the decision to marry, job, are significantly increasing the divorce rate. Finally the study concluded as the present study depict that increasing age ,religious, education, income, family size, family influence, job, the decision to marry have a positive effect on divorce. This indicates that the job have less amount of money , high amount of family size and the decision to marry at the time of marriage leads to divorce. The government and any stack holder should be give advice about the factors of divorce for all people to their family. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/106-01 Publication date: March 31 st 2023

Aniana del Mar Jumps In by Jasminne Mendez

Reviewed by: Aniana del Mar Jumps In by Jasminne Mendez Danica Ronquillo Mendez, Jasminne Aniana del Mar Jumps In. Dial, 2023 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593531815 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593531822 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 6-8 Twelve-year-old Dominican American Aniana cannot imagine her life without swimming in the water: “I’m a dolphin,/and my only home/is the water.” While her Mami forbids her to swim due to a tragic family past, her Papi takes Aniana to swim practice in secret. But when Aniana starts developing aches and pains all over her body, she’s forced to tell her Mami, who predictably feels betrayed and becomes even more protective when Aniana is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis. Aniana is forbidden by her mother to swim (despite the doctor’s orders to help manage the disease) and is forced to attend a religious youth group, losing her freedom to do what she wants. Nevertheless, Aniana tries to be hopeful that she can swim again, even if things will be different from now on. Mendez’s novel beautifully crafts a first-person narrative with concrete poetry, forming shapes of teardrops, sea creatures, and storms to capture the physical and emotional journey of Aniana’s desire to return to the water and navigate her newly diagnosed disability. Stanzas with English and Spanish dialogue, repetition, and spacing visually add to the tension and distance Aniana experiences with her family and friends, especially her strained relationship with her Mami. The historical descriptions of Dominican revolutionists help Aniana find independence and make her own life choices. Includes author’s note and a poetic glossary. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China.

Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is both a physical and emotional journey. Previous studies using single-source data have revealed common and culture-specific emotional experiences of patients living with breast cancer. However, few studies have combined such data from multiple sources. Thus, using a variety of data sources, the current study sought to explore the emotional experiences of women in China newly diagnosed, post-operative, or undergoing chemotherapy. We posited that even though women living with breast cancer in China have multiple channels through which they can express these emotional experiences, little variance would be found in their emotional expressivity and the themes they want to express due to cultural inhibitions. Text data from female patients newly diagnosed, post-operative, or undergoing chemotherapy were collected between June 2021 and January 2022 via a Python web crawler, semi-structured interviews, and an expressive writing intervention. Data were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Reporting followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) guidelines. Analyses were based on 5,675 Weibo posts and comments published by 448 posters and 1,842 commenters, transcription texts from 17 semi-structured interviews, and 150 expressive writing texts. From this total collection of 461,348 Chinese characters, three major themes emerged: (i) conflicting emotions after diagnosis; (ii) long-term suffering and treatment concerns; and (iii) benefit finding and cognitive reappraisal. Despite gathering information from various sources, we found that distress from body-image disturbances, gender role loss and conflict, and changes in sexuality and fertility, were consistent among this sample of female Chinese patients with breast cancer. However, when women engaged actively in benefit finding and cognitive reappraisal with strong social support, patients were able to find ways to adapt and reported post-traumatic growth. Strong social support was an important facilitator in this growth. These study findings emphasize that healthcare professionals ought to increase cultural sensitivity, provide multiple channels to encourage patients to express their emotions, and incorporate screening for patients' emotional distress at all diagnostic and treatment phases as part of routine nursing care.

Raregivers™ Emotional Journey Map presented by ANGEL AID Cares

Raregivers™ Emotional Journey Map presented by ANGEL AID Cares