non-Western Cultural Contexts Research Articles

Application of Western models of posttraumatic stress disorder in Nepal: Confirmatory factor analysis in earthquake survivors and in spinal cord injury patients

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often diagnosed by counting the number of symptoms experienced in specified symptom clusters, as outlined by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of mental illness. However, PTSD measurement tools and this method of diagnosing and treating PTSD, even in non-Western countries, is based on Western concepts of the underlying factor structure. While some research has suggested that PTSD is a disorder found in Western, or “WEIRD” (White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) countries and it may not translate to non-Western cultural contexts, other research has documented PTSD in a variety of non-Western countries including India, China, and the Philippines. We examined if the underlying factor structure of PTSD was evident in another non-Western context—in Nepal. We translated and back-translated the PTSD Checklist Specific Stress Version (PCL-S), adapting it for use with populations with low literacy affected by two life changing traumas. We then tested a series of theoretical models of PTSD across two different trauma samples—in survivors of the 2015 earthquake ( N = 392) and in people who experienced a life-changing spinal cord injury ( N = 163). Using confirmatory factor analysis, we found some evidence that PTSD symptoms appear to map onto Western factors, with evidence of the four-factor Dysphoria model (Re-experiencing, Avoidance, Dysphoria, and Hyperarousal symptoms) in both populations, and demonstrating scalar invariance across samples. However, exploratory factor analyses suggested a different underlying structure. Further, measurement invariance testing suggested gendered responses to PTSD items. The results demonstrate PTSD symptoms in this non-Western context somewhat fit hypothesized Western concepts of PTSD but point to a holistic approach to diagnosing PTSD in such contexts, as opposed to using clusters or PTSD cut-offs.

News Coverage of Child Abuse in Nepal: Comparative Analysis of National and International Medias

This study explores media coverage of child abuse in Nepal by analysing the National and International news articles. The study employs a mixed research approach through news coverage frequency and content analysis. It has extracted 50 English news reports each from national and international news outlets that cover the issue of child abuse over the span of six years (April 2017- April 2023) The content of the news reports was grouped into appropriate fields and analyzed under the several sub-topics such as framing, type of abuse, causes, solutions, perpetrators, geography etc. This article contributes to media research studies by demonstrating the superficiality of news coverage on child abuse—which have been inadequate because of the journalistic and scholarly emphasis on objectivity—in a non-Western cultural context such as Nepal, which has hitherto received negligible attention in the field of communication. The study revealed that the Nepalese and International media seldom gave coverage to child abuse cases, and when they did, the reporting lacked substantial content. It emphasizes the need for the media to play a proactive role through in-depth analytical news promoting anti-exploitation. Since previous literature has proven the interrelation between media news coverage and action on child abuse, this study recommends more comprehensive coverage to secure public awareness and organizational policies that can promote solutions of the problem.

Anchoring voices: The news anchor’s voice in China from television to AI

This paper takes the recent introduction of AI-powered television news anchors in China as an invitation to explore the technologies and techniques that have long been used in the anchor’s voice production. Analyzing Chinese Broadcasting Science, the first pedagogical standards for broadcasters across mainland China, published in 1993, this paper demonstrates how the perception of the anchor’s voice as something that can be measured, manipulated, and programmed has predated the AI industry. We examine guidelines, diagrams, and figures used to instruct news anchor wannabes on training their physiological voicing “engine,” tracing the continuities between this model of television anchoring and AI-generated news anchors. We propose technovocality as a conceptual framework for considering the various social, political, and ethical questions arising from the intersections between voices and media, past and present and Western and non-Western cultural contexts.

Interview: Reflections on Three Decades of Islamic Nonviolence

Abstract This article comprises a discussion with Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, a trailblazer in the field of Peace Studies focusing on Islam and Muslim communities. It explores Prof. Abu-Nimer's reflections on the development of this field over the past three decades. It focuses in particular on methodological, institutional, and inter-cultural challenges and developments during that time. Like Prof. Abu-Nimer's long career, it is international in scope and explores convergences and divergences in the experiences and discourses surrounding Muslim-led nonviolent resistance, peacemaking and peacebuilding initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. It also includes discussion of the role played by cultural difference and hybridity in translating the distinct peace and nonviolence repertoires of Western and non-Western cultural and political contexts.

The influence of allocentrism on residents’ sustainable entrepreneurial intentions in collectivist rural tourism destinations – a perspective from face and guanxi

Given the dual research gap between the topic of sustainable entrepreneurship in tourism and non-Western cultural contexts, this study integrates social identity and social embeddedness theories and introduces the concepts of face and guanxi to discuss the influence of residents’ allocentrism on their sustainable entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) in collectivist rural tourism destinations. The study adopted a dominant-sequential mixed research design. The study finds that residents’ allocentrism can directly influence or indirectly stimulate SEI by enhancing their desire to gain face and reinforcing guanxi. Residents desiring to pursue face are more willing to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship. Residents with stronger guanxi are more confident in overcoming the additional risks associated with maintaining entrepreneurial sustainability. This study suggests that the entrepreneurial process does not have to be a highly individualistic pursuit, and collectivist cultural values play a critical role in entrepreneurial decision-making processes regarding sustainability.

The Epistemic Value of Democratic Meritocracy

ABSTRACT This article examines, from an epistemic perspective, the ideal of democratic meritocracy that has been advocated by a group of scholars known as ‘Confucian meritocrats’ in East Asia for nearly two decades, but which has thus far only been treated by Western political theorists as a kind of wholesale epistocracy designed specifically for a non-Western cultural context. In particular, I focus on two aspects that help to institutionally distinguish democratic meritocracy from the kind of wholesale epistocracy most enthusiastically supported by epistocrats: the meritocratic selection process consisting of a set of non-electoral mechanisms and the combination of meritocratic institutions with democratic ones. I argue that each of them could be understood as having its distinct epistemic value which, taken together, may render some versions of democratic meritocracy epistemically superior to both epistocracy and democracy.

Self-objectification in Chinese pregnant women: The mixed role of functionality appreciation

Extensions of objectification theory to pregnant women are few and continued research is needed to better understand the psychological consequences of significant changes to physical appearance during pregnancy. Specific interests in this area include functionality appreciation which may be particularly relevant to pregnancy. Research in this area is also lacking representation of non-Western cultural contexts. To this end, we employed an online survey to assess objectification theory and functionality appreciation in Chinese pregnant women (N=345). Correlations showed that higher body surveillance and body shame were associated with higher disordered eating and psychological distress, and higher functionality appreciation was associated with lower body surveillance, body shame, and disordered eating. Mediation analyses suggested that higher body surveillance was associated with higher body shame which, in turn, was associated with higher disordered eating and psychological distress. Main effects suggested a negative association between functionality appreciation and body shame, but moderation analyses suggested that higher functionality appreciation strengthened the positive association between body surveillance and body shame. Findings underscore objectification theory as a useful framework to understand eating and body image disturbances and psychological distress in Chinese pregnant women and outline future directions to clarify the temporal nature of these associations and the precise role of functionality appreciation.

Interactions between Design Innovation and Educational Change in Non-Western Schools

In Western countries, school systems have employed modern school building designs as symbols for progressive and innovative educational change. Yet, how does this design symbolism change teaching and learning? To address this, we examine the challenges and complexities of innovative school design by drawing on case studies of preschool and primary-level schools from non-Western cultural contexts. A conceptual framework that links social, organisational, cultural, and material elements is used to analyse two new schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Uruguay that used modern school designs as a basis for changes to local pedagogical approaches. Our findings suggest that school building design is not able, by itself, to drive educational changes; and that there are inherent challenges involved in its alignment with localities in terms of staff cultures, student dynamics, and school organisation. Special focus is given to the design of the new school facilities, and the voice of educators in this process. The conclusion points out the need for an adaptive alignment between non-Western educational conventions and introduced education and design concepts.

Sensitivity to disgust, but not increased disgust, is associated with disapproval of gays: Experimental evidence from Turkey

Previous research indicated that exposure to disgusting stimuli often leads to more negative attitudes toward gays. However, these findings primarily stemmed from Western cultures and were inconsistent. It remained uncertain whether the impact of disgust would apply to diverse cultural contexts. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating whether the influence of disgust, previously observed, extended to an unexplored non-Western setting, Turkey. In Study 1, an online experiment was conducted to explore the connection between disgust and attitudes toward gays. Study 2 aimed to replicate these findings in a laboratory setting and examined the role of political attitudes. Study 1 found no significant link between disgust and disapproval of gays. However, in Study 2, there were significant correlations between political conservatism, disgust sensitivity, and negative attitudes toward gays. Notably, disgust did not significantly affect negativity toward gays in either study. Moreover, while political conservatism would lead to negative attitudes, it did not moderate the relationship between disgust and negativity toward gay individuals in Study 2. Present findings expand the ongoing debate about the causal role of disgust in disapproval of gays, providing original insights into a non-Western cultural context.

Exploring how AI adoption in the workplace affects employees: a bibliometric and systematic review.

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is changing the way organizations function, and profoundly affecting employees. These organizational changes raise crucial questions about the employee's future and well-being. Our study aims to explore the intersection between artificial intelligence and employee well-being through a bibliometric review and a contextual analysis. Carried out in May 2024, our study is divided into two phases. The first phase, dedicated to bibliometric review, was conducted using the PRISMA method, and explored the Scopus and Web of Science databases for the period from 2015 to 2024. A total of 92 articles were selected for quantitative analysis using VOSviewer software. The second phase is based on an in-depth systematic analysis of 25 articles selected from those previously identified. These articles were selected on the basis of their relevance to the research question, and were subjected to in-depth thematic analysis using NVivo software. The bibliometric analysis results reveal a significant increase in publications starting from the year 2020, highlighting advancements in research, primarily in the United States and China. The co-occurrence analysis identifies four main clusters: ethics, work autonomy, employee stress, and mental health, thus illustrating the dynamics created by artificial intelligence in the professional environment. Furthermore, the systematic analysis has brought to light theoretical gaps and under-explored areas, such as the need to conduct empirical studies in non-Western cultural contexts and among diverse target groups, including older adults, individuals of different sexes, people with low education levels, and participants from various sectors, including primary and secondary industries, small manufacturing businesses, call centers, as well as public and private healthcare sectors. Existing literature emphasize the importance for organizations to implement supportive strategies aimed at mitigating the potential adverse effects of AI on employee well-being, while also leveraging its benefits to enhance workplace autonomy and satisfaction and promote AI-enabled innovation through employee creativity and self-efficacy.

Different Culture, Same Situation? Translating and Applying a Situational Judgment Test From Germany in Cuba

Abstract: Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are popular instruments in selection and assessment. However, the application of SJTs to non-Western cultural contexts remains scarce. In this study, we investigated whether an SJT on personal initiative, developed in Germany and translated into Cuban Spanish, had similar psychometric properties in Cuba. Second, there is an ongoing debate about the extent to which the situation description plays an important role for SJTs. We supposed that the impact of situation descriptions might depend on test takers’ familiarity with the culture in which the SJT was developed. Hence, we tested whether the omission of situation descriptions had larger effects in a Cuban than in a German sample. We applied a 2 (with vs. without situation description in the item stem) × 2 (cultural background: Cuba vs. Germany) between-subjects design ( NCuba = 192, NGermany = 213). The results revealed similar psychometric properties between Cuban and German test takers concerning measurement invariance, construct-related validity, and reliability. In addition, we examined whether samples differ regarding applicant perceptions: Notably, for four of six applicant perception scales, the Cuban sample reported a more positive view of the SJT. Furthermore, we found that the effect of situation availability on SJT performance did not substantially depend on the test takers’ cultural background. Implications for cross-cultural generalizability are discussed.

Variables influencing visitation decisions to conflict-ridden destinations: the effect of religiosity

ABSTRACT The study analyses religiosity as an antecedent variable that influences perceptions of terror risk and animosity, which shape image and visitation intentions to conflict ridden-destinations. The investigation is carried out for two different destinations, Turkey and Israel, both of which suffer from an armed political conflict within their territory. To increase generalizability, the study examines the model of relationships using samples from two source countries, the U.S.A. and India, which represent a Western individualistic and non-Western collectivistic cultural context. The results indicate that religiosity increases terror risk perceptions and decreases animosity, while also indirectly influencing visitation decisions to conflict-ridden destinations. The model is stable for both destinations and across samples, despite some differences that are discussed.

The rewards of spreading positivity: Positivity resonance relates to greater relatedness and flourishing in Filipino early adults

The rewards of spreading positivity: Positivity resonance relates to greater relatedness and flourishing in Filipino early adults

Welcome to the University of life, can I take your order? Investigating Life Experience Degree Offerings in Diploma mills

In this study, we posit a new category of products provided by diploma mills, which we term Life Experience Degree Offerings (LEDOs). LEDOs uniquely capitalise on the misuse of the principle of Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) by granting higher education qualifications based on a resume or CV alone. Through a comparative analysis with contract cheating websites, we highlight the key features and persuasive strategies employed by 10 diploma mill websites which provide LEDOs to attract and convince potential clients. We then use corpus linguistics methods by analysing a large corpus of text quantitatively to explore the keywords these websites use to describe their products using a pre-packaged corpus analysis tool (Sketch Engine). Our findings indicate that on providers’ websites, the LEDOs are framed as a tool to achieve greater socioeconomic opportunities, and the quality and appearance of the physical diploma and accompanying documents play a key role in the LEDOs’ value proposition, while references to the acquisition of knowledge and process of learning are absent. Furthermore, LEDOs are typified by the promise of accreditation and verification services, which are the two most common keywords used in the description of LEDOs on diploma mills’ websites. Future research directions are suggested, including examining this phenomenon in non-Western cultural contexts, understanding the users and operators of LEDO websites, and assessing the prevalence of fraudulent credentials obtained from these sites.

The relationship between career satisfaction and organizational commitment: evidence from the Kuwaiti banking sector

PurposeGrounded in social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this study aims to examine the influence of contextual factors on the relationship between career satisfaction and organizational commitment, within the banking sector in Kuwait.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a cross-sectional design analyzing a self-report questionnaire (N = 278).FindingsThis study investigates affective, normative and continuance commitment in relation to career satisfaction, within the banking sector in Kuwait. Findings indicate a positive relationship between career satisfaction and all of affective, normative and continuance commitment; although the relationship that appears to be the strongest is between career satisfaction and normative commitment.Research limitations/implicationsThe single site, cross-sectional approach is a limitation. The data were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research into career satisfaction and organizational commitment in different sectors is necessary and a replication of this study in a post-COVID context would also be valuable.Practical implicationsHuman resource development (HRD) policies in contexts such as Kuwait should prioritize career progression initiatives to enhance career satisfaction and contribute to increased organizational commitment. More attention is necessary to organizational HRD career planning and development policies and processes. Effective line manager development programs to equip managers to provide feedback and constructive performance management are recommended, as is the organizational provision of career counseling and guidance to support career development policies and processes.Originality/valueThis study combines the use of established constructs with an SCCT theoretical lends to contribute new theorization of the relationship between career satisfaction and organizational commitment in non-Western cultural contexts. It challenges assumptions in current theorization of the relationship between career satisfaction and commitment that privilege affective commitment over other dimensions.

Measuring positive parenting experiences among parents of children with autism: validation of the Kansas Positive Contribution Subscales in Chinese parents

Positive parenting experience can serve as a key psychological resource for parents and caretakers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, there has been limited evidence on the psychometric validity of measures to assess this construct, especially in non-Western contexts. This research explored the psychometric properties of two subscales in the Kansas Positive Contributions Subscales (i.e. happiness and fulfilment and strength and family closeness) in Chinese parents of children with ASD. Results of confirmatory factor analyses showed that the scores from the modified two-factor model of positive parenting experience had the best fit. Both subscales had moderate reliability coefficients. Furthermore, happiness and fulfilment and strength and family closeness were linked to lower levels of child’s externalizing behaviors. This study contributes to scarce evidence on measuring positive parenting experience in non-Western cultural contexts.

Unraveling moral and emotional discourses on social media: a study of three cases

ABSTRACT Mounting studies have suggested that messages featuring morality and emotion are more likely to go viral on social media platforms. Our study investigated three controversial events intensely discussed on Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter), with a focus on the linkage between morality/emotion and social media in a non-Western cultural context. We found (1) more moral content than non-moral content in the online discussion across the three events, (2) no delay of hourly aggregated moral/emotional content between individual posts and media posts, and (3) posts with stronger but heterogeneous emotions attract more retweets, comments, and likes, while homogenous moral foundations in a post can gain more comments and likes but not retweets.

Associations between attachment-related variables in fifth and sixth graders and their mothers in Japan

Obtaining data from non-Western cultural contexts is essential for enhancing the cross-cultural validity of attachment theory. This study investigated the associations among maternal attachment style, maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure, and children’s attachment security in middle childhood in Japan. Sample 1 included a nationwide web survey of 104 dyads of fifth and sixth graders and their mothers. Sample 2 included 53 dyads in an in-person questionnaire survey conducted in Kyoto. In both Samples 1 and 2, the results revealed (1) negative Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between maternal attachment anxiety and children’s attachment security, (2) positive Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients between maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure and children’s attachment security, and (3) negative Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients between maternal attachment anxiety and maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure. Our data could enhance the cross-cultural validity of attachment in fifth and sixth graders, and suggest that the influence of maternal attachment styles on parental responsiveness changes in middle childhood.

Autonomy-relatedness Patterns and their Association with Academic and Psychological Adjustment among Chinese Adolescents.

Establishing autonomy and maintaining relatedness with parents are two of the most crucial goals for adolescents and meeting these goals can be critical for academic and psychological adjustment. A two-dimensional framework was proposed for exploring the integrative synthesis of autonomy and relatedness, but its cultural applicability was limited. To better account for the situations associated with non-Western cultural context, this study extended the prior framework to three dimensions (volition, functional independence, and relatedness) and utilized latent profile analysis to explore the configurations and their concurrent and longitudinal (one year later) associations with adjustment (academic engagement, academic buoyancy, depressive symptoms, and externalizing problems). The study collected data from 3992 Chinese adolescents (51.33% girls, Mage = 15.41, SD = 0.55). Latent profile analyses identified five profiles: High, High Functional Independence, Moderate, Low Functional Independence, and Extremely Low Functional Independence. The High profile was the robust optimal pattern for academic and psychological adjustment, while the Low Functional Independence and Extremely Low Functional Independence were risk patterns over time. The High Functional Independence profile was only conducive to academic areas but not to psychological areas. Findings demonstrated the necessity of the three-dimensional framework in this field.

Popularity Goals and Bullying Behaviors Among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Roles of Popularity Status and Cognitive Empathy

Bullying is a goal-directed behavior that has long been in the spotlight of worldwide school mental health programs and research. However, the role of popularity goals in bullying and its potential mechanisms are unclear for adolescents in a non-Western cultural context. Based on 333 Chinese adolescents (52% female), the current study was the first to explore the potential moderating roles of popularity status and cognitive empathy in the association between popularity goals and early Chinese adolescents’ bullying behaviors. Moderated moderation analyses indicated that popularity status and cognitive empathy significantly moderated the positive relationship between popularity goals and Chinese adolescents’ bullying behaviors. Specifically, the statistically significant three-way interaction revealed that low popularity status and low cognitive empathy strengthen the positive links between popularity goals and bullying. The significant two-way interaction showed that the positive relations between popularity goals and bullying were stronger for low popularity among Chinese adolescents.