Related Issues Research Articles

A study of psychological violence in intimate partner relationships among university students: a mixed-methods research

The aim of this study is to examine university students’ attitudes and experiences regarding psychological violence in intimate partner relationships in the context of attachment styles, gender roles, and parasocial interactions. In this study, a mixed-methods research design, specifically the explanatory sequential design, was employed. In the quantitative phase, the attitudes of 508 university student participants towards dating violence were examined with structural equation modeling in terms of attachment styles, parasocial interaction levels and gender roles perceptions. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 university students who had experienced psychological violence in their romantic relationships, and the interviews were analyzed with the interpretive phenomenological analysis method. According to the conducted structural equation model, anxious attachment and avoidant attachment predict attitudes towards female psychological dating violence, while anxious attachment predicts attitudes towards male psychological dating violence. In the qualitative phase, the analysis revealed four main themes concerning perceptions of attachment styles: self, attitudes in relationships, evaluation tendencies in relationships, and relationship maintenance styles. Regarding perceptions of gender roles, two main themes emerged: gender equality and relationship roles. Media interactions yielded three main themes: interaction engagement, social learning effects, and the role of media within relationships. Lastly, perceptions of romantic relationship experiences were organized into four main themes: relationship encounters, relationship expectations, relationship issues, and dating violence. The findings suggest that people’s attachment styles, gender roles and interactions with different media channels are effective in their attitudes and experiences towards psychological violence in dating. The results emphasize that personal and social patterns are important in attitudes towards dating violence and that further studies on this subject should be increased.

Systemic Analysis of Issues in Relationships Between Professionals and Families with Children with Special Needs

Systemic Analysis of Issues in Relationships Between Professionals and Families with Children with Special Needs

Stressors contributing to burnout among acute care and trauma surgery care teams: a systems-analysis approach

BackgroundBurnout negatively impacts healthcare professionals’ well-being, leading to an increased risk of human errors and patient harm. There are limited assessments of burnout and associated stressors among acute care and...

Trauma and Attachment in Ana Huang’s “Twisted Love”: A Critical Discourse Analysis

The application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to Ana Huang's Twisted Love is examined in this study, with an emphasis on how language shapes gender relations, power dynamics, and emotional vulnerabilities in the story. Discourse analysis may be found in Twisted Love, a modern romance novel that explores issues of emotional pain, personal development, and complicated relationships. The study examines how deeper socio-cultural factors, like patriarchal influences and power disparities in love relationships, are revealed through the protagonists' conversations and internal monologues through the lens of CDA. The study looks at how language reflects cultural norms of forgiveness and love, negotiates conflict, and develops an identity. This study clarifies the underlying ideologies present in the narrative by examining textual components such as metaphors, pronoun usage, and conversational patterns. This helps readers have a better understanding of how contemporary romantic novels address important societal concerns. The goal of this work is to increase knowledge of narrative discourse as a means of both promoting and questioning social norms. This paper address the following research questions: 1. How do the language and discourse in Twisted Love portray the power dynamics in romantic relationships? 2. How does gender ideology impact the way Alex Volkov and Ava Chen communicate? 3. Thirdly, how does the protagonists' emotional and relational growth impact the trauma discourse? 4. How can Critical Discourse Analysis reveal the novel's rhetorical and structural ideologies?

성인ADHD 사회초년생들의 직장 경험에 관한 현상학 연구

The purpose of this study is to understand the subjective difficulties of work and relationship issues experienced and how they adjust to the challenges of young working adults with ADHD, - as well as- perceive the meanings of work. We recruited eight young working adults with ADHD, and conducted in-depth interviews and analyses based on Giorgi’s phenomenological research method. Six themes and 17 sub-themes were identified: "Lost in a confusing world not visible to others,"-"Turning into an idiot who can’t work in the workplaces,"-"Unable to figure out how to get out of it,"-"Embarrassed by the unbelievable diagnosis but accepting it,"-"Creating my coping algorithm," and "Finding suitable jobs and environments." This study enlightened the lived experiences of young adults with ADHD in the workplace and revealed the nature of them. Finally, counseling and institutional intervention for young adults with ADHD and the direction of future studies were suggested.

Initial evaluation of an AI‐augmented progress monitoring and outcome assessment

AbstractPurposeMost mental health providers have yet to adopt progress monitoring and outcome assessment (PMOA) measures. Although a variety of explanations have been proposed in the literature, a key reason is the burden of time and effort necessary for clients and clinicians to complete, interpret and apply the results of PMOA measures. This evaluation explores the feasibility and initial results of employing ChatGPT to analyse clinicians' unstructured session progress notes for PMOA.MethodsUsing a simulated patient with 17 trainee therapists, the study examined whether artificial intelligence (AI) can assist in generating thematic summaries relevant to clinical progress and outcomes. Therapists' session summaries were combined to evaluate the continuation of key clinical themes across four sessions for a simulated patient. Trainees also provided brief quantitative ratings per session about the patient's working alliance, negative affect (NA), avoidance of NA and levels of distress.ResultsAI‐generated results found a (a) persistent focus across sessions regarding the patient's relationship issues with an abusive caretaker, reluctance to disclose and avoidance of NA, and (b) substantial convergence between human‐generated and AI‐generated thematic summaries.DiscussionOverall, the use of AI to analyse clinical progress notes appears feasible and psychometrically sound. By minimising resources needed by patients and clinicians to produce clinically relevant data, an AI‐augmented approach can reduce a major obstacle to clinicians' adoption of PMOA measures for feedback purposes.

Locked-down learning amid COVID-19: young refugees in Greece and their supporters co-navigating a new crisis

ABSTRACT Greece, and the hundreds of thousands of refugees currently trapped in the country, are no strangers to ‘crisis’. Financial collapse and migration mismanagement were already severely impacting newcomers’ ability to participate in education before COVID-19 lockdowns made the situation even more dire. Based on interviews from a study on young refugees’ (aged 15–25) engagement with education in Greece, this paper explores how exactly lockdowns impacted learning and compounded pre-existing issues. It details how crisis was felt at the micro level as lost and disrupted learning opportunities, and as uncertainty and immobility – demonstrating the social, material and affective impacts of crises in the everyday. The paper also shows how youth expressed their relational agency by navigating constraints with the support of peers, educators and non-governmental organisations, even as technological and family-related issues came into play and supporters (or ‘co-navigators’) faced their own bureaucratic and practical hurdles. It concludes by arguing for sustained financial and political support for refugee-serving organisations, alongside greater flexibility and accessibility in the public education system.

Sexual Behaviours and Reproductive Health Issues among Students in Tertiary Institutions in Delta State: Counselling Implications

The study investigated sexual behaviours and reproductive health issues among students in tertiary institutions in Delta State, and discussed their counselling implications. It addressed some relationship issues that confront students at the tertiary education level which include awareness about prventive measures against sexually transmitted infections among sexually active students; young girls resorting to unsafe abortion; high level of sexual abuse and rape; and some female students engaging in part-time prostitution, among others. The study's population consisted of 14,650 first-year students in higher educational institutions in Delta State of Nigeria. Based on willingness to participate, a purposeful sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 3,490 students. A questionnaire on Sexual Behaviour and Reproductive Health Issues (SEBARHI) was developed by the authors and used to collect data on Sexual Behaviour and Reproductive Issues among the students. Data collected was analyzed with descriptive statistics and it was found that a considerable number of undergraduates in the area of study engage in risky sexual behaviour and also demonstrated ignorance of safe reproductive health practices. More female students reported indulging in homosexuality, bisexuality, anal sex, masturbation and threesome sex, amongst others. The counselling implications of the findings of the study were discussed for increasing appropriate awareness of the consequences of risky sexual behaviours, unsafe reproductive health practices and need to seek help from professional counselling practitioners.

Characteristics of the parent-child relationship in families of children with cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis (literature review)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and cerebral palsy (CP) are chronic disabling diseases caused by central nervous system affection. The diagnosis of a chronic illness in a child is a psychotraumatic event that disrupts the structure and functioning of the family system, the psychological well-being and the health of family members. In the process of adapting to the stress factor, both parent-child relationships and marital relationships are deformed. In most families raising disabled children, disharmonious parenting styles prevail. Parents report a decrease in quality of life, dissatisfaction with their role and family relationships, experience anxiety, depression, guilt and helplessness and try to compensate for the psychological distress by focusing on the child's problems, often sacrificing their private life and free time. In addition, parents of children with MS are burdened by a sense of insecurity related to the difficult-to-control and unpredictable course of the disease. The lack of a sufficient number of scientific studies on this topic does not allow us to draw clear conclusions about the influence of the type of child's disease progression (progressive, stationary) on the characteristics of the parent-child relationship. In addition, longitudinal studies are needed to assess the dynamics of parent-child relationships and the effectiveness of psychocorrective interventions in families with children with MS and CP. The review is based on a theoretical study of the issues of parent-child relationships in families raising children with CP and MS and the impact of chronic disabling illness on the family system, which was conducted based on a systematic literature search of PubMed, Google Scholar, eLibrary and DisserCat databases.

Mobility power and society: Managing migrant workers among Chinese multinational companies in Europe

This paper examines how Chinese multinational companies manage labour mobility, with a focus on the sourcing and circulation of labour. Drawing on secondary sources, this study argues that labour mobility is a central issue in employment relations in China and for the Chinese MNCs operating abroad. It presents three employment archetypes that illustrate the varied strategies Chinese firms use to manage labour mobility within China’s societal constraints. Adaptive diffusion of these employment archetypes is not evident among Chinese MNCs in Europe. Instead, Chinese MNCs strategize to secure continued supplies of workers, replace migrant sources that become undesirable or inaccessible, and mitigate disruptions caused by voluntary labour turnover. Several mechanisms enable Chinese MNCs to manage their overseas workforces to maintain the employer dependency like that of migrant workers in China. These mechanisms include internal firm transfer arrangements administered directly by the employer; bilateral labour agreements negotiated through government interventions; and international and local worker deployment mediated through employment agencies. By highlighting the conflicts and negotiations underlying the management of labour mobility among leading Chinese MNCs in Europe, the paper provides an analytical framework for understanding the diversity of Chinese MNCs in structuring employment relations in an increasingly interconnected global labour market.

Effects of social media engagement and romantic relationships on academic distraction with emotional attachment as a mediator

The current research attempts to unveil the moderating role of academic self-efficacy and the mediating role of emotional attachment between social media engagement, romantic relationships, and academic distraction. The path model analysis of the study indicates that academic distraction is positively related to social media engagement and romantic relationships as hypothesized in this study. Liking constitutes a significant mediating factor in both relations and is more so a heightener of the social media and romantic involvement distraction. Furthermore, the findings suggest that emotional attachment interacts with academic self-efficacy concerning academic distraction, with those students having greater self-efficacy reporting higher levels of distraction. These findings therefore point to the need for educational practices and student support systems, to attend to the role of emotional and relational factors particularly, emotional attachment to students’ academic focus. This way the dynamics will make educators and policymakers understand how to address the issues of social media and romantic relationships in academic environments well.

Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation of the Barriers and Sustainable Pathways for Women During the Transition from Higher Education to Empowerment in Pakistan

This study explores the barriers that impede women’s transition from higher education to empowerment in Pakistan. It uses Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE). By integrating qualitative and quantitative data, this research identifies six primary barriers: sociocultural values, family-related issues, freedom and mobility, violence and harassment, economic factors, and gendered norms. Data were collected through a survey of 500 women across various regions of Pakistan, with a valid response rate of 79.8% (N = 399), providing a comprehensive analysis of the most significant obstacles to women’s empowerment. The findings reveal the intricate and pervasive nature of these challenges, with sociocultural values, family-related issues, and restrictions on freedom and mobility emerging as the most critical. These traditional norms and patriarchal structures (index 3.942) significantly hinder women’s educational and professional progress. Family-related issues (index 3.840) and restrictions on freedom and mobility (index 3.820) also play a substantial role. Violence and harassment (index 3.705) further deter women from pursuing their goals, while economic factors (index 3.695) and gendered norms (index 3.631) contribute to the persistent gender disparities. This study concludes with a call to action, emphasising the urgent need to address these barriers. To boost women’s empowerment and advance gender equality in Pakistan, comprehensive solutions comprising targeted interventions, societal change, and policy reforms are required. By prioritising these challenges, stakeholders can develop practical solutions. This research provides invaluable insights for policymakers, educators, and advocates, urging them to work towards creating an inclusive and equitable environment for women’s advancement.

Ազգային դերի հայեցակարգերի ձևավորումն ու փոխակերպումը արդի միջազգային հարաբերություններում

The purpose of this article is to assess the significance of national role conceptions (NRCs) in the analysis of states' foreign policy by highlighting their internal and external dimensions. The article evaluates the significance of role theory in the context of different schools of international relations. The article compares existing definitions of NRCs and identifies their specific limitations, including the limitation of engagement levels, the assumption of internal consensus, and the neglect of role dynamics. The article proposes a new definition of NRCs that includes a dynamic and collective understanding of a nation's strategic goals, considering both internal cultural and social factors as well as external environmental shifts and influences. As a result, the analysis of NRCs is proposed as an effective tool for addressing theoretical and practical issues in international relations, with the goal of explaining and predicting foreign policy behavior.

PENGUATAN HUBUNGAN BILATERAL INDONESIA – AMERIKA SERIKAT MELALUI PROGRAM DIPLOMATS GO TO CAMPUS BAGI MAHASISWA HUBUNGAN INTERNASIONAL UNIVERSITAS TANJUNGPURA

The United States is a major power country that has a long track record of cooperation with Indonesia. On the other hand, Indonesia as a country that currently continues to support Palestinian independence can also be a sensitive issue for relations between the two countries. The aim of this service activity is to provide education about Indonesia-United States relations and to dispel sensitive issues occurring between the United States and Middle Eastern countries which are considered to be an obstacle to build good relations between Indonesia and the United States. This community service aims to increase people to people contact and provide education regarding bilateral relations between Indonesia and the United States. This activity will be carried out in May 2024 using three methods, preparation and delivery of educational material, question and answer session, and reporting. After carrying out this activity, International Relations study program students became more concerned about increasing people to people contact through increasing understanding of the differences between the two countries, democratic values, and opportunities for prosperity for both countries. Apart from that, students understand the functions and duties of diplomats as representing, promoting, protecting, negotiating and reporting. Students also understand the strategic interests of Indonesia and the United States. Also, there is a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Indonesia and the US and an action plan for Indonesia and America for 2024-2028. Including the implementation of shared values ​​and partnerships between Indonesia and the United States. Such as assistance in developing the quality of education in Indonesia, humanitarian assistance, and cultural development between the two countries.

Toward stakeholders' understanding of media reporting on doctor-patient relationship issues: trust, unfamiliarity and uncertainty in the Chinese context.

This study explores doctors' and patients' understandings of citizen journalism on doctor-patient relationship issues. It also examines the communication effect of citizen journalism as a communication platform on doctors and patients who are taking part in the doctor-patient relationship in contemporary China. This study draws on the analysis of 24 semi-structured interviews with doctors from both publicly funded and privately operated hospital, and nine focus groups which included 36 patients with different socio-economic backgrounds. The empirical research present the following results: (1) authority and witness are the two key factors to construct the stakeholders'(doctors' and patients') awareness and trust of citizen journalist reporting on the doctor-patient relationship issues. (2) stakeholders' perception on citizen journalism will construct them concern on the uncertain and unfamiliar knowledge during the hospital activities. The interpretation of doctor-patient relationship reports by doctors and patients affects their mutual trust. Authority and witnessing are two key factors that citizen journalists should consider when reporting on doctor-patient relationship news. Doctors from different types of hospitals and patients with different income levels have different understandings of the authority and witnessing of the reported content. Reading the content of doctor-patient conflicts reflected in citizen journalist reports can exacerbate the emotional fluctuations of doctors and patients. After reading these reports, doctors and patients may experience increased anxiety about uncertainty and unfamiliarity in doctor-patient communication. This study provides a framework for public health research from the relationship between communication content and audience. It also provides answers from the perspectives of media and stakeholders to investigate the tension in doctor-patient relationships in China.

Determinant factors and coping strategies for depression among pregnant women: an intervention-based qualitative study in Lahore, Pakistan

BackgroundThe present study is an intervention-based qualitative study that explores the factors causing depression among antenatal women and analyses coping strategies based on the modified version of the Thinking Healthy Programme (THP) intervention in the urban setting of Lahore, Pakistan.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative evaluation approach was used in the present study. The study comprises four phases, i.e., the screening phase, exploratory phase, intervention phase, and evaluation phase. During the first phase, pregnant women aged 18–45 years were screened for anxiety and depression by using the Urdu-translated Patient Health Care Questionnaire-9. In the second phase, identified women were interviewed to explore the factors responsible for depression. In the third phase, the intervention was administered via the THP intervention. In the last phase, the same women were reinterviewed to analyse the outcomes of the intervention. Thematic analysis was performed for the analysis of the interviews.ResultsData was analyzed using thematic analysis following an deductive and indictive approach in both pre- and post-intervention phase. Three main themes emerged in the pre-intervention phase: (1) the impact of adverse life events on the mental health of pregnant women, (2) the adverse effects of marital relationship issues on pregnant women, and (3) depression-causing factors due to the joint family system. Furthermore, four themes emerged in the post-intervention stage: (1) development of positivity in thinking and attitude, (2) learning about stress management through the provision of compassion and sharing avenues, (3) gaining self-esteem to address matters positively, and (4) improving relationships with the unborn child and family. Numerous pregnant women praised the THP project and recommended that hospitals adopt it to assist pregnant patients in the Pakistani health system.ConclusionThe study concludes that THP can be a valuable tool for helping many pregnant women who are experiencing prenatal depression recover, however, there is a further need for exploring its benefits in varying social and cultural contexts.Trial registrationThe study has been registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT04663243).

Sexual Self-Disclosure Styles: Understanding Differences in Discussing Sensitive Sexual Topics with Relationship Partners

ABSTRACT This study explored sexual self-disclosure styles. Using an online self-report survey, participants (n = 428) reported levels of conversational goals, disclosure-related variables, and likelihood to disclose a sexual topic to their romantic partner. Cluster analysis resulted in three distinct styles of sexual self-disclosure. A seasoned self-discloser is experienced and efficacious in their sexual self-disclosures. Relationally constrained disclosers report concern for secondary goals paired with avoidance-related contextual variables. Functional self-disclosers seem to use verbal disclosure as a preferred tool for managing sexual issues in relationships, with less regard for the secondary influences of impression management, identity, and relational goals.

Evaluating Teachers’ Performances: Travails of School Heads in the New Normal

This study explored the lived experiences, challenges encountered, coping mechanisms and insights of public elementary school heads on evaluating teachers in schools using the RPMS-IPCRF in the new normal. The participants were coming from DepEd Region XI, Division of Davao City, specifically in the schools of Paquibato District. There were eight (8) school heads who participated in the study, and were purposely selected. This study made use of a phenomenological approach to extract the ideas from the participants. The virtual in- depth interview was employed to gather significant information with regard to their respective lived experiences. Using the thematic analysis, the following themes emerged pertaining to their lived experiences: evaluation for performance improvement, evaluation as a difficult task, teachers providing outstanding educational services, and hurdling evaluation challenges. Further, there were also three (3) subthemes that emerged on the challenges experienced by the participants. These are the lack of RPMS-IPCRF orientations, unattainable key results areas, and rater-ratee relationship issues. The coping mechanisms of participants on the challenges they experienced were: RPMS-IPCRF re-orientations, team building for strengthening relationships, and regular coaching and monitoring. The educational management insights drawn from the participants were the importance of LAC sessions in schools and the value of rater-ratee collaborations. Thus, it is crucial to provide effective evaluation strategy training to school heads with additional support and continual professional development endeavors to boost their effectiveness and foster desirable management and evaluation skills amidst the pandemic.

Matrix representation of the graph model for conflict resolution based on intuitionistic preferences with applications to trans-regional water resource conflicts in the Lancang–Mekong River Basin

With the continual growth in global demand for water resources, the governance of trans-regional water resources has become an important field of cooperation between countries, and conflicts caused by competition for water resources have become a focal issue in international relations. The root causes of trans-regional water resource conflicts include unclear ownership of water resources and the limited rationality of the parties involved. The water rights trading model has proven to play a stabilizing role in resolving trans-regional water resource conflicts versus the traditional negotiation model. To demonstrate the rationality and theoretical strength of the water rights trading model in allocating trans-regional water resources in uncertain environments, this paper proposes a novel matrix representation of intuitionistic stability definitions through a graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR). First, decision-makers’ (DMs’) intuitionistic preferences, unilateral movements, and intuitionistic unilateral improvements in a GMCR with two DMs are represented in a matrix. The joint unilateral movements and joint intuitionistic unilateral improvements for a coalition in a GMCR with multiple DMs are also represented. Next, according to the logical forms of intuitionistic stability definitions, four stability definitions in a GMCR with intuitionistic preferences were redefined to enable matrix representations of graph models with either two DMs or multiple DMs. Finally, we analyzed the state transitions and strategies of all stakeholders in trans-regional water resource conflicts in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin within the intuitionistic graph model. The contributions of this paper are twofold. First, in terms of theoretical research, this article enriches and develops the GMCR and proposes a set of definitions of matrix intuitionistic stability. Second, in terms of practical application, the intuitionistic stability analysis results can provide a reference for water rights trading to solve trans-regional water resource conflicts in uncertain environments and transform trans-regional water resource governance systems.

The effects of the paramedics' field work on their mental status in Jeddah.

Paramedics are continuously exposed to stressful events, making them liable to mental disorders. This study assesses the health of paramedics in Jeddah, focusing on their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. This cross-sectional study included fieldwork paramedics in Jeddah through an online survey distributed on social media. With a response rate of 86.09%, 192 complete responses were analyzed. Outcomes included mental health, mood and somatic effect, self-esteem, and sleep. Most participants were males (83.85%), married (50%), non-heavy smokers (51.04%), and non-alcohol drinkers (51.04%). A significant number reported health-related work or daily life difficulties, with 62.5%-67.18% attributing these to physical and emotional issues, respectively. Over half rated their mental health as poor or somewhat poor, impacting their relationships significantly. Additionally, 70.31% frequently felt anger, and many faced limitations in physical activities. About 14.58% had a prior mental illness diagnosis, with nearly a quarter on medication, and 61.98% had recently sought psychiatric help. Sleep deprivation affected 61.98%, with 38.53% reporting poor sleep quality. The findings highlight the negative impact on paramedics' mental health, showing a substantial diagnosis rate of mental disorders, activity limitations, negative mood, and relationship issues. Despite significant sleep problems, a positive aspect is their proactive psychiatric help-seeking behavior.