Emotional Research Articles

Embodying Tourette’s Syndrome in Young Adult Literature

The article foregrounds two protagonists with Tourette Syndrome (TS) from contemporary Young Adult (YA) novels written by authors with TS. Grounded in the interdisciplinary field of cultural disability studies in education (CDSE), each protagonist is analyzed for (1) physical manifestations of TS (external depiction), (2) emotional reactions about having TS (internal depiction), and (3) the response of parents and family members, friends, acquaintances, and strangers (societal depiction). Both main characters navigate a world in which they are viewed as abnormal, frequently working through internalized feelings of freakery as they struggle to become more self-accepting during their adolescent years. Such depictions “engage with disability as an isolating, hurtful, and joyful experience” (Bolt 11), allowing for the complexities, tensions, contradictions, and general messiness of embodying TS. These depictions suggest that the authors seek to provide readers with an empathetic understanding of TS, while allowing the simultaneous contemplation of ways in which the embodiment of TS informs us about our culture.

The Effectiveness of Applying Artificial Intelligence in Sick Children’s Communication

Pediatric nursing students are required to be taught how to overcome their own psychological stress during their internship in order to understand sick children’s emotional reactions, as well as to be able to interact and communicate with such children. This quasi-experimental study proves that the application of AI image health education e-books by the nursing teacher is more effective than traditional paper handout teaching materials in improving nursing students’ self-efficacy when using therapeutic games to deal with and reduce sick children’s fears of medical examinations and treatments (p < 0.05). AI-driven tools can enable the development of personalized e-learning materials that target specific areas for cognitive improvement. This targeted approach can enhance knowledge retention and skill development, resulting in better-prepared healthcare professionals.

Efficacy of a pain neuroscience educational program in improving executive function and pain intensity in fibromyalgia patients (Fibrobrain project): Study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic musculoskeletal condition typically characterized by chronic pain, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, and cognitive problems. The present study aims to examine the efficacy of a pain neuroscience education program (PNE) in improving executive functions and pain intensity in patients with FM and compare them with those of standard treatment protocols. This blinded, controlled clinical trial will compare changes in executive function and pain intensity between two groups. The first group will receive standard treatment supplemented with PNE, consisting of ten sessions spread over five weeks, with each session lasting 40-45min. The main objective of this method is to remodel cognitive and emotional reactions to pain, challenging the idea that pain is directly related to injury and highlighting the influence of emotions, sleep, and physical activity on pain perception. The second group will receive only standard pharmacological treatment. The study sample will include 62 adults diagnosed with FM, according to initial sample size estimates based on previous evidence. A baseline assessment of baseline characteristics will be performed, after which patients will be randomly assigned to the PNE group or the control group. The results of the intervention will be evaluated and statistically compared after 5weeks. This protocol complies with all relevant ethical guidelines. It has been approved by two institutional committees (Reference: NR2006; Conbioethics:21-CEI-004-20,170,829). It is anticipated that this intervention will be a cost-effective and superior alternative to standard treatments. NCT05084300.

The Effects of FOMO on Investment Behavior in the Stock Market

This study explores the impact of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on stock market investment behavior, focusing on how psychological and emotional factors influence investors' decision-making processes. The primary objective of the research is to investigate the relationship between FOMO and key behavioral trends, such as overtrading, speculative investing, and the formation of asset bubbles. A qualitative research approach was employed, utilizing a literature review of existing studies on behavioral finance, FOMO, and stock market dynamics. The findings indicate that FOMO significantly affects investors by amplifying emotional reactions to market trends, leading to irrational decisions that prioritize short-term gains over long-term financial stability. Social media and technology play a critical role in amplifying FOMO, creating herd behavior that contributes to market volatility and speculative bubbles, as seen in phenomena like "meme stocks." The study also reveals that younger investors are more susceptible to FOMO, largely due to their reliance on social media for investment advice. The results suggest that enhancing financial literacy and promoting disciplined, long-term investment strategies are essential for mitigating the negative effects of FOMO. Regulatory interventions targeting misinformation on digital platforms may also help reduce the prevalence of FOMO-driven investment behavior. Future research should further investigate the psychological mechanisms behind FOMO and explore the long-term sustainability of FOMO-driven market practices.

Losses and support in the grieving process –– pastoral and media context

The loss of a close person is accompanied by various emotional, cognitive, behavioural, physical, spiritual and social reactions. The process of grieving therefore has an impact not only on the course of grief, bereavement itself, and the perception of losses, but also on the human being generally. In accordance with experts, grieving after a loved one who died of the virus that causes COVID-19 is specific. In most cases, it is characterized by a lack of personal contact with a seriously ill person due to infection and quarantine measures during hospitalization, and later a characteristic ban on personal farewells or touching due to the potential threat of infection. In addition, this specifics is accompanied by reflections on how the infection occurred in the first place, or anger at the lost person for not being careful enough, or anger at the health system that provided help to the sick loved one. The paper takes into account the aforementioned as a starting point for the presentation of grief and bereavement, which also takes place in the space of social media during the pandemic. The article seeks to contribute to the overall concept of pastoral bereavement support and contemporary digital support for grief and bereavement. It can be achieved by presenting the possibilities of online support for mourners in the context of the French philosopher Vladimir Jankélévitch's (1977) relational model of death. Rabatel and eventually Floréa referred to this issue and started the research on the announcement of death in the media. The goal of such studies was to show that the conventional media focuses on the death of distant people that "doesn’t concern us" (i.e., "third person death"), whereas new technologies give the opportunity and space to talk about the death of close people (i.e., "second person death") as well as one's own death (i.e., "first person death"). The text presents the online space as a place where pastoral care and accompanying the mourners or grieving men is not only possible but also beneficial.

A thematic analysis of the subjective experiences of mothers with borderline personality disorder who completed Mother-Infant Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: a 3-year follow-up

BackgroundPerinatal borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common condition in perinatal mental health settings with few specialised treatment options, and little is known about the enduring effects of available treatment programs. This study explored the follow-up experiences of women with BPD after completing Mother-Infant Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (MI-DBT).MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with eight women who had completed MI-DBT 3 years prior. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the interviews to gain a richer understanding of these mothers’ lived experience.ResultsA thematic analysis generated four main themes which indicated that participants found that MI-DBT improved their ability to hold their child in mind, be aware of their own internal state and behaviours, manage their own emotional reactions and stay calm, and manage interpersonal interactions within adult relationships. Mothers with perinatal borderline personality disorder also highlighted the need for ongoing support in the context of parenting.ConclusionsThis study is the first of its kind to explore the longer-term experiences of mothers following such an intervention, giving voice to this vulnerable group of women. The findings of this study provide a greater understanding of the complex challenges experienced as part of parenting for mothers with borderline personality disorder, and provides both insight into mothers’ experiences of life after MI-DBT and the impact of the program on their lives. The clinical and research implications of the study’s findings are discussed.Trial registrationThis research was retrospectively registered on 07/03/2024, ACTRN12624000225516.

Leveraging Social Media and Deep Learning for Sentiment Analysis for Smart Governance: A Case Study of Public Reactions to Educational Reforms in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi government’s educational reforms aim to align the system with market needs and promote economic opportunities. However, a lack of credible data makes assessing public sentiment towards these reforms challenging. This research develops a sentiment analysis application to analyze public emotional reactions to educational reforms in Saudi Arabia using AraBERT, an Arabic language model. We constructed a unique Arabic dataset of 216,858 tweets related to the reforms, with 2000 manually labeled for public sentiment. To establish a robust evaluation framework, we employed random forests, support vector machines, and logistic regression as baseline models alongside AraBERT. We also compared the fine-tuned AraBERT Sentiment Classification model with CAMeLBERT, MARBERT, and LLM (GPT) models. The fine-tuned AraBERT model had an F1 score of 0.89, which was above the baseline models by 5% and demonstrated a 4% improvement compared to other pre-trained transformer models applied to this task. This highlights the advantage of transformer models specifically trained for the target language and domain (Arabic). Arabic-specific sentiment analysis models outperform multilingual models for this task. Overall, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of AraBERT in analyzing Arabic sentiment on social media. This approach has the potential to inform educational reform evaluation in Saudi Arabia and potentially other Arabic-speaking regions.

Exploring Empathy Dynamics in Virtual Patient Training

Abstract Background This study investigates the manifestation of empathy among nursing students and teachers during virtual patient training with VR glasses at the Medical Simulation Training Centre of Medical University - Plovdiv. The pilot training, conducted from March 22 to April 12, 2024, was part of the Erasmus+ project ‘Caring violent child safely in child psychiatric and residential units (Safe4Child) 2021-1-FI01-KA220-HED-000032106.’ Participants were divided into two focus groups: third-year nursing students and lecturers teaching specialized academic disciplines in nursing. Results A total of 34 participants partook in the study, comprising 16 instructors with basic nursing education and 16 third-year nursing students. Students exhibited considerable empathy towards the virtual child patient, expressing an inclination to provide assistance, acknowledging the necessity for personalized care, and displaying a curiosity about the patient’s experiences. They conveyed sentiments such as ‘I felt the need to help the child/patient’, ‘the child needs individual work with a nurse’ and ‘I want to understand the child’s experiences.’ In contrast, instructors demonstrated more reserved emotional responses, characterized by professionalism and a focus on offering comfort. They expressed, ‘Normal feelings...but you want to hug the child and comfort him.’ Conclusions The study unveiled a marked difference in empathy expression between students and instructors, with students displaying stronger emotional reactions. These findings underscore the need to recognize and address individual variances in empathy expression within nursing education. Tailored strategies should be devised to bolster empathy development in both students and instructors during virtual patient training. Further investigation is warranted to explore effective methodologies for optimizing empathy development and fostering compassionate patient care in nursing education. Key messages • A Comparative Analysis of Nursing Students and Instructors Using VR Glasses. • Erasmus+ project (Safe4Child) 2021-1-FI01-KA220-HED-000032106.

Being blind (or not) to scenarios used in sacrificial dilemmas: the influence of factual and contextual information on moral responses

IntroductionTraditionally, human morality has been largely studied with classical sacrificial dilemmas. A way to advance current understandings of moral judgment and decision-making may involve testing the impact of contexts that are made available to individuals presented with these archetypal dilemmas. This preliminary study focused on assessing whether the availability of factual and contextual information delivered through classical scenarios would change moral responses.MethodA total of 334 participants were presented with sacrificial dilemmas either with a scenario or without a scenario before performing two moral tasks: one consisted in moral judgment (e.g., is it acceptable to sacrifice one person to save five?) and one was related to choice of action (e.g., would you sacrifice one person to save five?). In the condition with a scenario, participants were presented with a story describing the dilemma, its protagonists, their roles, the location and some background details of the situation, before answering to the two moral tasks. In the condition without a scenario, participants were only asked to perform the two moral tasks without any additional contextual elements usually provided by the scenario. Participants’ emotions were also measured before and after completing the two moral tasks.ResultsThe results indicated that the presence of a scenario did not affect moral judgments. However, the presence of a scenario significantly increased utilitarian action choices (i.e., sacrificing one person in the interest of saving a greater number) and this effect was partially mediated by an increase in the perceived plausibility of the sacrificial action. Regarding emotional reaction to dilemmas, no differences were observed between the two conditions, suggesting that emotions are mainly based on the two moral tasks.DiscussionThese findings underscore the value of carefully considering the role of factual and contextual information provided by the scenarios in moral dilemmas.

Effectiveness of pictorial-warning intervention to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened-beverages

Abstract Background & Aims Limited research have looked at pictorial-health-warnings (PHW) for sugar- sweetened beverages (SSB), despite the potential for behaviour change that pictorial warnings on tobacco products hold. This study aimed to examine how visual warnings impacted parents’ decisions to buy SSB for their children. Materials and methods All residents dwelling in the communities and local vendors available were subjected to a ten-week multi-strategy intervention by randomized stepped-wedge controlled trial to support the introduction of PHW labels. Stepped implementation of a two-week PHW intervention was delivered in a randomly selected order at one-week intervals. Follow-up data were collected for all three sectors two weeks following the completion of the PHW intervention in the third sector. The trial outcome was determined by comparing the overall perception change towards SSB among parents between the baseline and follow-up periods for three sectors combined. Secondary outcomes included reactions to the trial labels, attitudes toward SSB, and intentions to serve their child SSB. Results PHW led to a 30 % (-37.12%, -22.37%) reduction in purchases of SSB, along with lower intentions to serve SSB to children, higher thoughtfulness about the harms of SSB, more perceived control of healthy eating decisions, stronger negative emotional reactions, lower perceived healthfulness of SSB for their child, and greater injunctive norms to limit SSB for their child (all p < 0.05). No differences by sector or within sector were found between pre and post-intervention in the appeal of SSB or perceived tastiness of SSB (all p > 0.05). Nearly 53% of participants reported being more in control of making healthy eating decisions. Conclusions Warnings on SSB are a promising policy approach to reduce sugary drink purchasing. This evidence will support the health service adoption of implementation strategies to support PHW labels across the entire country. Key messages • Warnings on SSB are a promising policy approach to reduce sugary drink purchasing. • Support the health service adoption of implementation strategies to support PHW labels across the entire country.

Health Professions Students' Reflections About Principles of Interprofessional Collaboration after Shadowing Interprofessional Palliative Care Rounds.

Future healthcare professionals are educated on collaborative practice methods through interventions that may include shadowing. While shadowing allows students to learn from and about other health professions, it often fails to offer an opportunity for the student to work and collaborate with other health professionals. This study sought to investigate themes regarding interprofessional students' experiences during a palliative care shadowing activity and their understanding of collaborative patient-centered care, social determinants of health, and health disparities. Twenty-eight students representing 13 health professions from the Interprofessional Palliative Care program at Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at Thomas Jefferson University submitted reflection essays at the conclusion of their shadowing experience. Four hundred ninety-eight sentences from 28 essays were analyzed via qualitative directed content analysis. Coding categories were determined a priori using definitions of collaborative practice from the 2023 Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies and definitions of social determinants of health from Healthy People 2030. Thirty-two percent of sentences described IPEC competencies, 18% described social determinants of health/ health disparities, 4% included student emotional reactions, and 2% included student descriptions of the development of their professional role. These results suggest that shadowing offers an opportunity to identify and learn interprofessional competencies in interprofessional palliative care curricula, as made evident through student reflection assignments.

Use of generative AI in research: ethical considerations and emotional experiences

ABSTRACT This study examines researchers’ ethical concerns toward the deployment of GenAI in research and their emotional responses. To acquire an in-depth understanding, we used narrative frames and follow-up interviews to collect data from 22 researchers who reported extensive experience with GenAI. An inductive thematic analysis revealed three themes capturing ethical concerns that invoked three types of emotional reactions. From an ethical perspective, our participants were concerned with “human ethical agency in AI research practices,” “cognitive impacts of overreliance on GenAI in research,” and “ethical issues of access, accuracy, and privacy.” From an emotional perspective, they showed “mixed emotions,” “positive emotions,” and “negative emotions” when dealing with GenAI tools. There were close connections between the ethical implications of GenAI and the emotional reactions to them. In this light, we conclude that emotional reactions to GenAI, which are determinants of future use, should be taken more seriously in further research.

Dyadic Effects of Attachment on Illness Acceptance in Patients with Breast Cancer and Spousal Caregivers: Sense of Coherence as a Mediator

Background: Attachment styles have been found to play a significant role in adjustment to cancer. Couples often cope with breast cancer through an interdependent approach to the disease rather than just acting as individuals, and a sense of coherence is an important factor that influences these relationships. This study examined how attachment styles and sense of coherence impact illness acceptance in couples facing breast cancer within a dyadic perspective. Methods: Data were analyzed from 145 women with recently diagnosed breast cancer and their 145 partners, who attended clinic appointments related to medical treatment. They completed self-report measures of attachment, sense of coherence, and illness acceptance. Results: Higher secure attachment and low insecure attachment scores were associated with a higher sense of coherence and better illness acceptance both in women and partners. Results of actor–partner interdependence mediation models indicated that most associations between attachment styles and illness acceptance were mediated by sense of coherence within both intrapersonal (actor–actor) and interpersonal (actor–partner) effects. Conclusions: The interdependence in attachment and sense of coherence brought noticeable benefits to couples’ illness acceptance when facing breast cancer. In line with the salutogenic model, these relationships predominantly depended on the mediational function of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness, which determined cognitive and emotional reactions that influenced both patients’ and spouses’ acceptance of the disease.

“More stress, more addiction?” The relationship between stress and relapse of male individuals with drug addiction: A chain mediation model

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of relapse tendency in male drug abusers and provide empirical evidence for reducing relapse tendency of drug abusers. A survey was conducted on 310 male individuals with drug addiction using Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), Simple Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Relapse Tendency Scale (RTS). (1) Stress is significantly positively correlated with the relapse tendency of individuals with drug addiction; (2) Stress indirectly affects relapse tendency through regulatory emotional self-efficacy; (3) Regulatory emotional self-efficacy can directly and negatively predict relapse tendency, and can also indirectly and negatively predict relapse tendency through coping style. Stress coping theory, tension elimination theory, and the self-administration hypothesis are applicable to explain the tendency to relapse due to stress among compulsory isolated drug abusers in China; Regulatory emotional self-efficacy and coping style play a chain mediating role between stress and relapse tendency of male individuals with drug addiction.

Perfectionism and Cognitive and Emotional Reactions to Climate Change and Psychological Distress

Perfectionism and Cognitive and Emotional Reactions to Climate Change and Psychological Distress

Doing good with flow: Unlocking brand passion through virtual CSR co‐creation participation and immersive experiences

AbstractAdvancements in social media technology have empowered brands to engage in virtual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) co‐creation activities, which are crucial for CSR success and sustainability. Employing four scenario‐based experimental studies (1049 samples in total) alongside analyses of variance (ANOVA) and regression methodologies, we investigate how virtual CSR co‐creation activities impact consumer emotional reactions and branding behaviors. The SPSS software and the Process macro were used for data analysis. The results reveal that higher persistence (Study 1) and deeper participation (Study 2) in virtual CSR co‐creation are more likely to enhance brand passion. Flow experience mediates the above positive relationship between virtual CSR co‐creation and brand passion. Furthermore, when virtual CSR co‐creation activities take place in private settings rather than public settings, the positive effects of consumers' participation persistence and depth on brand passion will be attenuated. This work advances the theoretical understanding of brand passion within the domain of virtual CSR co‐creation. It provides new perspectives and practical implications for enhancing consumer‐brand relationships through virtual CSR co‐creation activities.

The role of gender in emotional reactions elicited by music: Autonomic reactivity, facial expression, and self-reports

Studies in the field of emotions have yielded mixed findings regarding differences between women’s and men’s emotional reactivity. In the majority, emotional scenes, facial expressions, and movies were used as stimuli. However, music has been less frequently used, despite its capacity to evoke strong emotional responses in the listeners. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of gender in emotional reactivity to music. A sample of 110 healthy participants (60 women) listened to 42 excerpts (14 pleasant, 14 neutral, 14 unpleasant) from the Film Music Stimulus Set (FMSS) for 8 s, while their autonomic reactivity and facial expression were continuously recorded. Participants then rated each excerpt on affective dimensions (hedonic valence, tension arousal, and energy arousal), discrete emotions (happiness, anger, fear, tenderness, and sadness), musical preference, and familiarity. Some differences were found between women’s and men’s reactivity to the stimuli, such that women showed a greater deceleration of heart rate while listening to both emotional (pleasant and unpleasant) and neutral music, and rated unpleasant excerpts as less preferred. Women also scored higher on trait anxiety compared to men. These results suggest that women may have heightened sensitivity to emotional stimuli, particularly unpleasant music, which could have implications for better understanding clinical pathologies that vary in prevalence based on gender.

Angry and Afraid: Exploring the Impact of Mixed Emotional Reactions to Hate Crimes With LGBT+ and Muslim Communities.

Hate crimes send messages of intolerance that can cause significant emotional and behavioral harm to entire identity groups. Previous research, based on intergroup emotions theory, has helped explain the psychological mechanisms that underpin the indirect effects of anti-LGBT+ hate crime, showing that incidents give rise to perceptions of threat among community members, which in turn elicit certain emotional reactions that trigger specific behavioral outcomes. This article provides two significant contributions to this developing knowledgebase. First, it provides an important replication of the theoretical model with another frequently targeted community: Muslim people. In addition, it offers the first quantitative analysis of how combinations of different emotions trigger discrete behavioral responses in the aftermath of hate crime, thereby providing much-needed nuance to the intergroup emotions theory model. Across two studies (Study 1: N = 589 LGBT+ participants; Study 2: N = 347 Muslim participants), we show that, for both LGBT+ and Muslim participants, indirect experiences of hate crimes are associated with greater perceptions of threat, which are then positively associated with anger, anxiety, and shame, that link to behavioral intentions: avoidance, pro-action, security behaviors, and retaliation. Latent class analyses further revealed that participants' emotional reactions tend to cluster into four distinct profiles in both communities: people scored mid-range on all emotions, or high anger with low shame, or high anger with high anxiety, or low shame. These combinations had direct implications for intended behaviors across both groups: experiencing high anger with high anxiety was a cogent motivator of action. Most significantly, we provide new insights into how and why different emotions interact to predict both similar and divergent behaviors in the aftermath of hate crime incidents. Our findings yield important new knowledge that holds the potential of shaping both public policies and practices aimed at addressing the impacts of hate crimes.

A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Foreign Language Anxiety Interventions Among Students

Foreign language anxiety is an emotional reaction toward learning and using a foreign language, which may negatively influence individuals’ self-perceptions, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. To explore how to mitigate the potential detrimental effect of foreign language anxiety, this meta-analysis and systematic review included 37 primary articles on interventions targeting relieving foreign language anxiety. The results revealed the overall efficacy of these interventions ( ES = −0.61, p = .03) in reducing anxiety . Age was the only significant moderator despite seven moderators being included. The qualitative section of the systematic review examined intervention types, publication patterns, and research designs in the 37 analyzed articles. A notable increase in publications on this topic was observed over time, with approximately equal numbers of studies utilizing direct versus indirect interventions. This review offers implications for both future researchers and practical applications in addressing foreign language anxiety.

A new way to conceptualize intolerance of uncertainty among adolescents: Embracing the network perspective.

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a pivotal transdiagnostic risk factor in psychopathology, is defined as a dispositional incapacity to withstand uncertainty distress, driving maladaptive cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions to uncertainty. However, the intricate interplay among these components, particularly in adolescents, remains underexplored; yet understanding this interplay is crucial for supporting mental health. To address this gap, we employed a network approach to conceptualize IU in 5672 non-clinical Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.13 years, SDage = 1.96 years, range = 10-19 years, 46.6% boys), combining graphical Gaussian models (GGM) and directed acyclic graphs (DAG). Our analyses revealed a tripartite network comprising cognitive, behavioural and emotional components. Notably, 'frustration' and 'work with hindrance' emerged as key drivers, while 'catastrophizing belief' served as a critical bridge linking different components. These findings underscore the importance of alleviating uncertainty-induced frustration and enhancing coping skills for behavioural impediments to mitigate adolescent IU. Additionally, therapeutic interventions should prioritize modifying and re-evaluating catastrophizing beliefs related to uncertainty.