Emotional Outlet Research Articles

The perceived benefits and barriers of sport in spinal cord injured individuals: a qualitative study

Purpose: This study explores what individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) perceive to be the benefits of becoming involved in organized sport and identifies the barriers to participation. Method: Seven SCI athletes from a variety of sports were interviewed in a semi-structured format. Results: 20 benefits and 18 individual barriers were identified and categorized into sub-themes: benefits were categorized into sub-themes of “socialization,” “self-worth,” “physical challenge” and “emotional.” Barriers were grouped into “organization,” “medical,” “emotional,” “a lack of available information” and “views held by others.” Conclusion: A variety of benefits from participating in sport were identified, including socialization, the acquisition of knowledge from others, the development of greater awareness of health and well-being issues, weight maintenance, functional development and independence. Barriers identified included financial constraints, the lack of information regarding medical complications and sporting opportunities, and the need for able-bodied support. The findings have implications for the rehabilitation of individuals with SCI.Implications for RehabiliationThe findings of this study showed that there are many benefits to participating that included socialization (e.g. incidental learning from others), self-worth (e.g. proving physical strength to others), physical challenge (e.g. maintenance of body weight) and emotional (e.g. exercise providing an emotional outlet).There were also many barriers to participating including organizational (e.g. availability of facilities), medical (e.g. urinary tract infections), emotional (e.g. general lack of confidence), lack of relevant information (e.g. lack of or inappropriate medical advice) and views held by others (e.g. patronizing views of others).

Experience with colorectal cancer: Analysis of patient web forums.

496 Background: Patient-reported outcomes are typically collected through structured questionnaires. Patient web forums provide a unique opportunity for patients to spontaneously post their experiences and thoughts about diseases and treatments. This study explored the impact of colorectal cancer (CRC) treatments in these forums. Methods: This was a cross-sectional qualitative analysis of web data. Two of the most active CRC web forums were identified using 4 criteria: site active for > 5 years, > 12,000 total posts on the forum, >20 individuals currently browsing, and > 10 new posts/day. All posts posted in Jul and Dec 2010 and Feb-Mar 2011 on the two forums were abstracted for review and coding using MaxQDA software. Results: A total of 1,654 posts, posted by 264 individuals, were identified on the two CRC web forums. Demographic and /or tumor information were identified for 83% of the posters. Of these, 83% were CRC patients and 17% were family members; 76% were females, and the mean age of the patients was 49 years. The majority had advanced cancer (44% stage IV or metastatic, 40% stage III). The most common topics were a variety of side effects (62.3% of posts), treatment response (13%), and impact on personal, social, and work lives, income and life styles, and resulting emotional distress (23.9%). The posters came to the online forums in part to have an emotional outlet. Another key motive was sharing experiences and seeking advice. Formal knowledge regarding the likelihood of response, magnitude of benefit, or side effects was absent however, leading to senses of uncertainty, anxiety, sometimes shock, and unrealistic expectations. On balance, although patients reported difficulties being on treatment, they also expressed resilience and appreciation for the availability of treatment options and the hope they provide. Conclusions: Online CRC communities provide patients with convenient and valuable emotional support and disease and treatment information. The profound impact of CRC and treatments goes beyond efficacy, toxicity, and structured quality of life scores. Systematic information and decision tools are needed to minimize uncertainties and help patients manage expectations and emotional distress.

Multimedia Quake Poetry: Convergence Culture after the Sichuan Earthquake

AbstractThis article examines a wave of Chinese poetry sparked by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. “Quake Poetry” was published online before being re-circulated through digital, print and live media. Multimedia adaptations of one poem are examined to investigate the relationship between the authors of Quake Poetry, the different media platforms, and the people and institutions involved in its proliferation. Media convergence enabled Quake Poetry to fulfil several functions in the aftermath of the earthquake. Most prominently, it served as an emotional outlet for those affected by the quake, while giving its netizen-producers a sense of creative agency as they engaged in participatory cultural production. Members of the contemporary poetry scene cited Quake Poetry as evidence of poetry's ongoing hold over the Chinese national consciousness. Finally, certain poems were appropriated and promoted by China's state-controlled media to propagate a politically expedient image of Chinese unity in the face of tragedy.

Competence in Coping with Stress in Adolescents from Three Regions of the World

The ways adolescents develop and use strategies to cope with stress vary according to cultural scripts and values. This cross-sectional study tested the impact of region and gender on adolescents' stress perceptions and coping styles. A total sample of 10,941 adolescents (51.3% female) from 20 countries completed questionnaires on stress and coping behaviors in four domains (school, parents, peers, and romantic relationships). Standardized samples of n=200 were drawn from each country, resulting in a sample of N=4,000 adolescents (mean age 15.18, SD=1.76, balanced gender distribution). Based on the results of discriminant analysis, the adolescents could be grouped into three world regions (Western, Eastern/Asian, and Southern). Results revealed that levels of perceived stressfulness of issues in different domains were universally similar among adolescents from all three regions. Parent- and school-related stress received the highest rankings, and peer- and romance-related stress the lowest. Differences emerged with respect to coping style, depending on region and gender. Coping styles characterized by negotiating, seeking support, and emotional outlet were used more often by adolescents from the Western region than those from the Eastern/Asian or Southern regions. Females in all regions had higher rates in the use of negotiating and seeking support than males did. Adolescents from all countries, despite regional variations, exhibited more emotional outlet in response to conflicts with parents than with peers or romantic partners. Overall, adolescents from all regions of the world demonstrated an impressive level of coping competencies, as only about one fifth of all coping responses involved the use of withdrawal and denial. The findings are discussed with respect to how the effects of globalization and changing societal expectations may have contributed to similar levels of perceived stressfulness and increased coping agency in adolescents in different parts of the world.

Hospital doctors' anxieties at work

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how maternity doctors deal with anxieties generated through their interactions with patients.Design/methodology/approachThe authors juxtapose two critical stories, collected as part of a large mixed method field study of leadership and patient care in three UK hospitals. The study of “organizational stories” is particularly relevant in health care settings that are liable to unleash strong emotions and fantasies, stories have a great advantage of offering an outlet for unconscious emotions and fantasies. The authors collected stories (n=48) from different stakeholders, and after extensive discussions and analysis, it was decided to focus this article on two stories told by two different doctors. These stories sum up not only the storytellers' own personal experiences but also reveal something more profound and general about the nature of doctors' anxieties and the means used to contain them. By restricting the discussion to two narratives, many variations are left outside our remit; the benefit, however, is that the nuances contained in these stories can be looked at in far greater detail.FindingsThe principal cause of doctors' anxiety in this study was a constant balancing between an objectifying “I‐it” and a communicative “I‐Thou” relations with their patients and the organization. If the doctors were unable to deliver what in their personal scale would have been good or even satisfactory patient care, anxiety levels started rising. The coping with and managing of anxiety was mainly done through controlling of relations with patients and colleagues.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into situations that prompt diverse challenging emotions.

Imagination and feelings

Art is an excellent medium for enabling young children to express their emotions and to develop their imaginations, creating an emotional outlet that helps them to explore moods, feelings and thoughts.

Blog Function Revisited: A Content Analysis of MySpace Blogs

The present study concerns the content of MySpace blogs and whether it differs from the blog style found on sites specifically designed for blogging. A content analysis of MySpace blogs was conducted to investigate trends in purpose, format, and style and to compare these across sex and age categories. Most blogs were written in a positive tone, and the main motivations for blogging appeared to be writing a diary and as an emotional outlet. Findings also indicate that while there were no significant sex differences, blog purpose and style differed across age groups; for example, bloggers over 50 were more likely to use the blog as an emotional outlet with a negative tone. Bloggers between 18 and 29 predominantly used a semiformal language style, whereas bloggers over 30 were equally as likely to use a semiformal or formal style. Results suggest that MySpace blogs are not dissimilar from other forms of blogging because they provide an important outlet for emotion and self-expression.

Coping With Thoughts of Suicide: Techniques Used by Consumers of Mental Health Services

Suicide is a devastating public health problem, and research indicates that people with prior attempts are at the greatest risk of completing suicide, followed by persons with depression and other major mental and substance use conditions. Because there has been little direct input from individuals with serious mental illness and a history of suicidal behavior concerning suicide prevention efforts, this study examined how this population copes with suicidal thoughts. Participants in 14 regional consumer-run Hope Dialogues in New York State (N=198) wrote up to five strategies they use to deal with suicidal thoughts. Strategies were classified according to grounded theory. First responses included spirituality, talking to someone, positive thinking, using the mental health system, considering consequences of suicide to family and friends, using peer supports, and doing something pleasurable. Although a majority reported that more formal therapeutic supports were available, only 12% indicated that they considered the mental health system a frontline strategy. Instead, respondents more frequently relied on family, friends, peers, and faith as sources of hope and support. Consumers' reliance on formal therapeutic supports and support from peers and family suggests that education and support for dealing with individuals in despair and crisis should be targeted to the social networks of this high-risk population. The disparity between availability of formal mental health services and reliance on them when consumers are suicidal suggests that suicide prevention efforts should evaluate whether they are effectively engaging high-risk populations as they struggle to cope with despair.

The impact of prompted narrative writing during internship on reflective practice: a qualitative study

Narrative writing has been used to promote reflection and increased self-awareness among physicians. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of prompted narrative writing on reflection. Thirty-two interns at 9 internal medicine residency programs participated in a year-long qualitative study about personal growth beginning in July of 2002. Interns wrote narratives every 8 weeks. At study completion, interns wrote a final narrative describing the affect that being in the study had on them. Responses were reviewed and organized into domains. Writing throughout the year resulted in reflection and encouraged interns to reconsider their core values and priorities. Some found that the exercise promoted greater self-awareness and provided an emotional outlet. Writing about difficult experiences coupled with reflection motivated some interns to want to improve. Prompted narrative writing led to reflection among interns and promoted self-awareness. Educators may consider incorporating narrative writing into residency education.

Jammed in an Unknown Device

Jammed in an Unknown Device

Personal experiences and professional strategies

This article is based on empirical research carried out in Sweden during the years 2000 and 2004. The study concerns five music teachers who teach at upper secondary school and the main aim was to acquire an understanding of the teachers’ views of the core subject Music. A further aim was to describe the five teachers personal experiences of music in various social, educational and musical contexts, and how these experiences affect their teaching. The problem area concerns relations between life's different directions in a number of interacting temporal and contextual dimensions. For this reason the teachers’ narratives were analysed and contextualised on different levels of abstraction. The study indicates that there is a vital relationship between what the teachers have derived from their own musical experiences—e.g. pleasure and play, outlet for emotion—an what they want to pass on to their pupils.

Development and validation of a collectivist coping styles inventory.

This research consisted of 3 studies, with a sample of over 3,000 Taiwanese college students, aimed at developing and validating a situation-specific Collectivist Coping Styles (CCS) inventory from an Asian perspective. The results from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a stable 5-factor structure of the CCS: (a) Acceptance, Reframing, and Striving; (b) Family Support; (c) Religion-Spirituality; (d) Avoidance and Detachment; and (e) Private Emotional Outlets. These factors reflected Asians' use of a combination of primary and secondary control efforts and represented different constellations of items than typically found on coping-problem solving inventories in Western countries. Estimates of concurrent and construct validity suggest the CCS is related to a problem solving inventory, an overall problem resolution index, 2 psychological distress measures, and an index of how much the trauma interfered with the lives of participants in conceptually expected directions but is not strongly related to social desirability. Overall, the CCS was found to be a useful and psychometrically sound measure of collectivistic coping. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.

Nurses in cancer care—coping strategies when encountering existential issues

This paper is a presentation of general/secular coping strategies and strategies related to the caritas orientation that nurses in cancer care use when encountering stress. As a concept, caritas indicates the will to do good. The paper tries to provide an answer to the question of which functional and dysfunctional coping strategies nurses use when coping with work-related stress. The study is qualitative and hypothesis-generating. The material analysed consists of 15 interviews with Swedish registered nurses and is based on a life-story approach. Pargament's coping theory related to the psychology of religion has been applied for interpretation purposes. The nurses use several coping strategies with the dominant strategy being a general boundary demarcation. Other strategies that were used for coping included emotional outlets, caritas--oblivion and periodically changing activity. The strategies can be used in a functional or dysfunctional way; e.g. dysfunctional coping was present when there was a lack of human support and boundary demarcation.

The relationship of impulsivity, sensation seeking, coping, and substance use in youth gamblers.

This study examines the relationship of impulsivity, sensation seeking, coping, and substance use to disordered gambling in a sample of 1,339 youth (637 males and 702 females), 17-21 years old. Results indicate that males with serious gambling problems were more likely than their peers to abuse substances and to use avoidant stress-coping strategies, such as seeking emotional outlets, distracting themselves with other activities, and using humor. In contrast, female disordered gamblers were less likely to engage in active coping and planning strategies. Overall, substance use, coping through distraction, and impulsivity proved the most predictive of disordered gambling for males, and intensity seeking and impulsivity proved most predictive for females. Implications for prevention, intervention, and education are discussed.

A Qualitative Analysis of Family Support and Interaction among Black College Students at an Ivy League University

It is hypothesized that Black families and other kinship networks serve an integral role in supporting Black college students on predominately White campuses. The subjects for this study were a random sample of 50 Black undergraduate college students at a large, coeducational, academically selective, urban university. This study investigated whether family involvement among Black college students promotes social and intellectual competence, adaptation to and involvement within the University, and decreased stress among these students. It was found that Black family support was significantly important in decreasing stress and providing and emotional outlet for the participants. THE VALUE OF EDUCATION IN BLACK FAMILIES It is widely known that for Black families, education is viewed as the path to liberation and success in the American society. Over the past 20 years, we have seen a marked increase in both the high school graduation rate of Black children, as well as an increase in the college participation rates. The American Council on Education (ACE, 2002) reports that in the year 2000, 77% of Black children graduated from high school. In 1999, the college participation rate of Blacks 18-24 years old was 39.4% (ACE, 2002). Wilds (2000) reports that 40% of Black college students graduate within six years of entering the institution. Past studies on Black students at predominately White universities have concentrated on attrition and its causes. Citing academic underpreparedness (Loo & Rolison, 1986), socioeconomic status (Ottinger, 1991), and negative campus climate (Mabry, 1991) as factors that contribute to attrition, these authors have sought to provide an explanation for reasons why African American students are retained at a rate less than their White counterparts. More recently, researchers have focused less on attrition and more on the those factors that facilitate persistence through to graduation (Choy, 2002; Fries-Britt & Turner, 2002). It is this latter body of literature to which this article seeks to contribute. Faegin and Sikes (1995) report increased struggles and recurring crises among Black students attending predominately White colleges and universities. Jung and Khalsa (1989) surveyed the correlation between stress, social support, coping strategies, and depression among African American and White students. In their study, African American students reported a higher number and severity of daily hassles than White students. This greater number of hassles was positively correlated with the level of depression for these students. Also, perceived family support among these students was related to lower depression (although actual support received was not statistically significant). Finally, those students who perceived greater support were more likely to use help-seeking behavior as a means of coping with problems. Students who perceived less support were more likely to use avoidance coping mechanisms. In seeking to understand the coping abilities of successful Black students (those who persist to graduation), researchers have focused on the impact of family support on the successful adjustment of these students to the college environment. Family support and interaction has been found to significantly correlate with social adjustment and institutional attachment (Kenny & Stryker 1996); self-confidence and independence (Sedlacek, 1987); grade point average (Cutrona, Cole, Colangelo, Assouline, & Russell, 1994); and persistence (Gloria, Robinson-Kurplus, Hamilton, & Russell, 1999) of college students. Studies also show that students are more likely to contact peers or parents in times of stress or crisis (Henton, Lamke, Murphy, & Haynes, 1980; Martin & Burkes, 1985) and that students who maintain warm relationships with their parents during at least the first year of college form better relationships, seek out help, and are generally more integrated socially in university life (Bell, Avery, Jenkins, Feld, & Schoenrock, 1985; Kenny, 1987, 1990). …

Mandalas as a Therapeutic Technique for HIV-Infected Children and Adolescents

HIV positive children need a safe outlet to express their feelings about living with the virus. Creative therapeutic techniques such as the creation of mandalas (circle drawings) can facilitate the development of an emotional outlet. Carl G. Jung used mandalas in his work and believed that they are the paths to our center, the voice of our unconscious. The content of 32 mandalas created by children and adolescents living with HIV during clinical sessions with their social worker was analyzed for the themes expressed and colors utilized. The most prominent themes within the artwork concerned the concrete aspects of living with HIV. However, negative themes were balanced by themes concerning happiness, optimism, social relationships, and the normalcy of everyday life. The artwork illustrates that HIV plays a prominent role in the lives of the participants. Their resiliency is evidenced by the fact that nearly half of the themes expressed were positive and life affirming.

Constructing Wifely Identity: Prescription and Practice in the Life of Lady Sarah Cowper

July 25, 1700. My Custom hath been of late, to be in Bed from Nine to Six, the other 15 Hours I am 12 at least, alone. When I arose this Morn: I mett with a snare laid for me by an Instrument of the Enemy of Souls. … Since it is not possible for me to redress these Domestick greivances, I wou'd notice them to no other purpose, but to find by what means to sustain and bear them well. What if I try this expedient? Never to speak any thing but what is necessary to be said for some Use or End. that so my Mind may be kept more Close to the One thing Needfull, from which these vexations too much Distract it.So began Lady Sarah Cowper's sixteen-year enterprise in self-justification. Between 1670 and 1700 this English gentlewoman had already filled a dozen commonplace books with extracts from poems, sermons, scripture, and essays, consciously searching for an emotional and intellectual outlet. But in July of 1700 with the added impetus of family scandal alongside long-term marital friction and financial instability, Lady Sarah started keeping a diary in which she reacted to her position—initially middle-aged and unhappily married, then elderly and widowed—and to events in her world. When she finally stopped writing because of ill health in September 1716, her daily entries totaled roughly 2,300 pages in seven volumes. This remarkable diary offers a specific link between the ideologies that institutions and authorities were concerned to promulgate and the outlook of the individual.

The Anti-Romantic Comedies of Dorothy L. Sayers

"[W]hat on earth do women want?" Dorothy L. Sayers imagines men asking in her 1938 essay "Are Women Human?" Her answer is unequivocal: “I do not know that women, as women, want anything in particular, but as human beings they want, my good men, exactly what you want yourselves: interesting occupation, reasonable freedom for their pleasures, and a sufficient emotional outlet". Many of Sayers's readers may suspect her of having created detective novelist Harriet Vane to embody her dream of a life that features satisfying work, creature comforts, and a passionate marriage. As the love interest Sayers developed for detective Lord Peter Wimsey, Harriet Vane illustrates the possibility of an intelligent woman's finding happiness in both her work and her marriage to a wealthy and interesting man. As Harriet develops from the damsel in distress in the novel Strong Poison (1930) into a successful writer and amateur sleuth in Have His Carcase (1932) and proves capable of serious scholarship in Gaudy Night (1935), her relationship with Lord Peter resembles the standard romance plot Janice Radway develops in Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature. Although the Vane-Wimsey romance depicted in the novels follows the romance trajectory Radway traces, Sayers veers from that path in Busman's Honeymoon (1937), her play about the first stage of the couple's marriage. This essay examines Sayers's use of that play and her next, Love All, to question the literary and cultural convention of romantic love. As she transplants Lord Peter and Harriet Vane from the page to the stage in Busman's Honeymoon, Sayers sows the seeds of anti-romanticism that bloom in Love All (1940). Moving away from the conventional courtship plot of the first three Vane-Wimsey novels, Sayers uses her early plays to assert the value of meaningful work, mutual respect, and loving service beyond the realm of romance.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Quality of life is perceived according to individual conception and is best evaluated by the patient rather than by others. It is the condition of one’s being, reflected in the ability to perform everyday activities, as assessed according to physical, psychological, spiritual, and social dimensions. Among oncology patients, the quality of life is reflected in satisfaction with levels of functioning and control of the symptoms of both disease and treatment. 6

IDENTITY, EMOTION, AND FEMINIST COLLECTIVE ACTION

This article explores the relationship between identity, emotion, and feminist collective action. Based on interview research, the analysis confirms the central importance of anger in collective action and its particular significance for feminist identity and activism. As an emotion thought deviant for women, the anger inherent in feminist collective action frames created problems for participants in terms of relationships with partners, friends, and work colleagues. Participants performed emotion work to deal with negative responses to their feminist identity, but this depleted emotional energy and created stress. Participation in movement events provided much-needed emotional support and an outlet for deviant emotions.