Emotional Themes Research Articles

Reflections beyond the thesis—exploring wellbeing, emotional work and research identity following a PhD

This paper reflects on the experience of my PhD in Interactive Textiles for wellbeing and intends to provide ways for other PhDs to reflect and understand their PhD beyond the data. I provide context for my research, methodology and approach; Research through Design and a Person Centred Approach. Reflecting using the Gibbs Cycle I explore the emotional work required to conduct my studies, particularly within Dementia Friendly Communities. Alongside this I explain how my background and previous experience contributed to my overall approach and identity as a researcher. My key learnings from my experience form an action plan, offering ways for future researchers to; Reflect on and manage wellbeing; Reflect as a researcher working on challenging and emotional topics; Reflect on how researcher identity can influence research approaches. In addition, this paper provides training and networking suggestions.

Understanding the impact of dementia on spousal relationships: A qualitative study with female spousal carers of people living with dementia.

Background: Dementia does not merely affect individuals, the carer and the person living with dementia, but also has a profound impact on their spousal relationship. As such, this study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how dementia affects spousal relationships with a focus on interpersonal (i.e. relationship adjustment, communication engagement and emotional connection between two individuals) and intrapersonal (i.e. loss of self within the context of relationships) dynamics using a qualitative approach. The study also explored how carers adapt to such relationship challenges in the context of dementia care.Methods: A phenomenological approach was used to capture the subjective experiences of female spousal carers, who regularly support their partner living with dementia. A total of nine semi-structured interviews were conducted.Results: Relationship adjustment theme highlighted how learning to acknowledge role shifts from a spouse to a carer is critical for carers to manage relationship difficulties. Emotional connection theme demonstrated the importance of reminiscing about the shared history between dyads to cope with feelings of loss of affective intimacy. Communication engagement theme revealed carers' need to learn a new way of communicating due to the decrease in meaningful communication and two-way interaction. Sense of self theme highlighted the importance of self-compassion to overcome feelings of self-loss and isolation.Conclusion: Findings suggest that improving the relationship between female spousal carers and their partner living with dementia may require targeted interventions addressing different factors. Such interventions can include a couple's life story approach to enable couples to reminisce about their shared experiences, interactive communication training to enhance meaningful engagements, and a psychological approach such as compassion-focused therapy to overcome emotional challenges and facilitate self-compassion.

Multilayer perceptron-based literature reading preferences predict anxiety and depression in university students.

This study aims to precisely model the nonlinear relationship between university students' literature reading preferences (LRP) and their levels of anxiety and depression using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) to identify reading-related risk factors affecting anxiety and depression among university students. In this cross-sectional study, an internet-based questionnaire was conducted among 2,092 undergraduate students (aged 18-22, 62.7% female, from seven provinces in China). Participants completed a customized questionnaire on their LRP, followed by standardized assessments of anxiety and depression using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory, respectively. An MLP with residual connections was employed to establish the nonlinear relationship between LRP and anxiety and depression. The MLP model achieved an average accuracy of 86.8% for predicting non-anxious individuals and 81.4% for anxious individuals. In the case of depression, the model's accuracy was 90.1% for non-depressed individuals and 84.1% for those with depression. SHAP value analysis identified "Tense/Suspenseful-Emotional Tone," "War and Peace-Thematic Content," and "Infrequent Reading-Reading Habits" as the top contributors to anxiety prediction accuracy. Similarly, "Sad-Emotional Tone Preference," "Emotional Depictions-Thematic Content," and "Thought-Provoking-Emotional Tone" were the primary contributors to depression prediction accuracy. The MLP accurately models the nonlinear relationship between LRP and mental health in university students, indicating the significance of specific reading preferences as risk factors. The study underscores the importance of literature emotional tone and themes in mental health. LRP should be integrated into psychological assessments to help prevent anxiety and depression among university students.

Research on the Image of Yanqing in Mainstream Media Coverage of the Winter Olympics

The successful hosting of large-scale sports events can assist in the construction and dissemination of urban media image, and enhance urban competitiveness. This article mainly takes news reports on Yanqing from three mainstream media outlets, namely People's Daily, Beijing Daily, and Beijing Evening News, during the Winter Olympics as research samples. Using methods such as content analysis, the article analyzes Yanqing's urban media image from multiple perspectives by analyzing the emotional color, coverage density, themes, and keyword frequency of news reports. It presents a good media image of Yanqing built at different levels such as government, environment, culture, and society during the Winter Olympics.

Chinese Remake of Korean Films: Challenges and Strategies

This paper conducts an in-depth research and analysis on the challenges and dilemmas faced during the process of Chinese remake of Korean film, as well as the strategies to address these issues. Firstly, the paper reviews the historical development of cooperation between the Chinese and South Korean film industries, noting the rapid growth of the Chinese film industry around 2005 and the increasing collaboration with South Korea. However, with the changing times and the impact of political events, cooperation between the Chinese and South Korean film industries has gradually been restricted, leading to a shift towards transnational remakes. Subsequently, the paper explores the quality issues of Chinese remake of Korean film, analyzing aspects such as script adaptation, character development, and plot treatment. Particularly, focusing on the remake case of Sunny, it points out the shortcomings of Chinese remakes in retaining the essence of the original work, emotional resonance, and innovation. Finally, the paper proposes strategies to address these issues, including suggestions on emotional resonance and theme preservation, flexible plot adaptation and character development, and the incorporation of regional characteristics and innovative elements. By effectively applying these strategies, the quality and market performance of remake productions can be improved, achieving a win-win situation for both commercial and artistic endeavors.

The Canvas of Love Under the Light of Technology: An Analysis of Photography, Music and Narrative Techniques of Love Themes in Edward Yang’s Films

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the expression of love themes in Edward Yang’s films, especially through the use of photography, music and narrative techniques, and explores how these elements work together to construct a unique love narrative. Through case analysis of works such as The Murder of the Boys on Kuling Street, Yi Yi and Love in the Wind, this article reveals how Edward Yang used film technology to deepen emotional expression and theme exploration, thus leaving a mark in the history of Taiwanese films. An indelible mark.

Communicating Clear Guidance: Advice for Generative AI Policy Development in Higher Education

This article presents the ongoing conversation about generative AI guidance and policy in higher education. The article examines syllabus policies, including analyzing sentiment, emotion, and common themes in GenAI policies. Findings show that policies should be audience-focused, clearly written, and grounded in strategies to promote ethical AI use in academia and the workforce. Practical tips for policy writing and sample policies are provided.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Using Virtual Reality Interventions on Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a Psychopathic disorder characterized by abnormal communication and verbal behaviors. ASD is very common in children, affecting about 1 in 160 individuals, and the symptoms of this disorder appear before the age of three, and the main cause is still unknown. The effectiveness of this technology on the abilities required for people with ASD to communicate in a social setting has been the subject of several systematic and comprehensive studies. Methods: A systematic review by searching in PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL for publications was conducted from 1 January 2012 to 30 May 2021 involving use of virtual reality interventions on children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in which autism, autism spectrum disorder, ASD, virtual reality, VR keywords were utilized. Three reviewers independently investigated search results for inclusion in analysis and resolved disagreements by consensus. Results: Literature research of databases specifies a total of 808 records. According to the abstract and the full text of the studies, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and eliminating duplicates and screening articles, 15 articles were selected for final review based on the PICO criteria (population, intervention, comparison and results). The studies focused on the five topics of emotion and social interaction, social communication, daily life skills, specific fears and anxieties, physical activity, and attention. Conclusion: According to reports, the findings rightly claim that the use of virtual reality technologies not only improves the social and communication skills of children with ASD, but also provides them with an engaging and enjoyable experience. Moreover, Parents indicated high satisfaction with VR applications and this technology can contain many benefits in the treatment of ASD.

Perceived Benefits and Barriers to Livestock Mortality Composting

We conducted webinars in 2020 about livestock mortality composting (LMC). Forty-five attendees completed a survey to evaluate the webinar and help define future educational needs. Major barriers to LMC were lack of experience, public and neighbor perceptions, and environmental management. Most respondents indicated convenience, cost, biosafety, use of product, and environmental management as benefits. An unexpected emotional theme indicated that LMC also supports the “circle of life” and “respect for the animal.” We propose that this theme may be a uniting message to improve public and producer perception of LMC, increase use of LMC, and improve public-producer relationships overall.

Negotiating a traditional food space for the Gujarati diaspora in New Jersey: Prohibitions, linkages, and acceptances

Food practices directly or indirectly depend on tradition and the rituals that sustain a commonality of communal purpose. By invoking tradition and embracing accepted values through prescribed participation, a transnational and to a certain extent her or his progeny, are anchored to a cultural community. Émigrés must decide from a pastiche of food choices from “here” or from “home,” that will mark family and self-identity. This research seeks to assess the multiplicity of issues affecting the food cultural landscape of Gujarati transnationals and their descendants in New Jersey, US. The overall objective is to understand the motivations behind their overt and potentially covert food behaviors. Twenty-seven self-identified Gujarati Indian transnationals and their descendants were recruited through a non-probability sampling in northern New Jersey, US for five focus groups and follow-up individual interviews. Two Foundational Themes were distilled from the data: Collective Borders and Connectivity to Food, as well as four Emotive Themes: Food and Family Dynamics; Performance; Shame, Guilt & Anxiety; and Strength, Perseverance or Flexibility. Food choices enabled this diasporic community to negotiate between the competing forces of continuity and change, providing them with a template to adapt to their new surroundings while preserving native traditions. The arena of food and food choices was used by the participants to strike a pragmatic balance between individuation and collectivity, stability and change, and tradition and modernity. A clear understanding of the issues facing transnationals as they transition into a new country can help with their planning and processes of adjustment, which includes strategies to overcome pitfalls. The findings of this study can also inform the external community about the benefits of welcoming émigrés into their society.

Impact of Emotional Marketing on Consumer Decision Making :A Review

Emotional marketing is the practice of marketers using a variety of strategies to arouse consumers' emotions and persuade them to purchase goods or services. Emotional advertising is a subset of emotional marketing. When we talk about the theme of emotion in advertising, we usually think of advertisements with adorable newborns or playful puppies. Emotional marketing is defined as anything that convinces the consumer to purchase the goods while simultaneously bringing tears or joy to their eyes. This idea has gained traction in recent years as marketers have realized that evoking strong feelings in exposed customers encourages not just in-store purchases but also advertising memory and brand loyalty. A review of a few studies conducted in this field is presented in this study. This essay seeks to determine if buyers are rational decision-makers, emotionally invested in the goods, or both. This idea is not going away, even though it is still developing. Emotional marketing constitutes a strategic approach employed by marketers to elicit a spectrum of emotions in consumers, influencing their decision to purchase products or services. It encompasses a range of techniques aimed at resonating with the audience on an emotional level. Within this broader concept, emotional advertising emerges as a specific subset, often characterized by heartwarming visuals like newborns or endearing animals. The core objective is to not only persuade consumers to make a purchase but to simultaneously evoke feelings of joy or sentimentality. This approach has gained substantial momentum in recent years as marketers recognize its potential to not only drive in-the-moment sales but also foster lasting brand loyalty and create memorable advertising experiences. The essay at hand delves into a compilation of studies within this domain, seeking to ascertain whether consumers are primarily rational decision-makers, emotionally connected to products, or a combination of both. Despite its evolving nature, the enduring relevance of emotional marketing indicates that the strategy, designed to tug at consumers' heartstrings, is poised to remain a pivotal force in the realm of marketing and consumer behavior.

Gaining consensus on emotional wellbeing themes and preferences for digital intervention type and content to support the mental health of young people with long-term health conditions: A Delphi study.

Young people (YP) with long-term conditions (LTCs) are at greater risk of psychological distress than those without LTCs. Despite this, there is a scarcity of quality digital interventions designed to help improve mental wellbeing in this population. The aim of this study was to determine what YP, parents and health professionals preferred for future interventions. Twenty-six YP with asthma, diabetes and/or epilepsy (the three most common LTCs in YP), 23 parents of YP with LTCs and 10 health professionals mainly in paediatric specialisms (total n = 59) took part in an online Delphi study to gain consensus (set at 75% agreement) on four questions across three rounds. Participants ordered psychological themes that may be experienced by YP with LTCs by importance and ranked digital intervention types and delivery modes by importance or usefulness. The most common results were reported if no consensus was reached by round 3. Participants preferred a mobile phone app (73% agreement) and a mixture of one-on-one and group support for an intervention (75% agreement). The two highest ranked psychological themes were anxiety (44%) and wanting to appear 'normal' (38%), and the top intervention type was 'general counselling' (54% agreement). There was a clear desire for an app to help with the psychological aspects of living with LTCs and for a combination of one-to-one and group intervention elements. Anxiety and wanting to appear 'normal' might be two closely linked psychological challenges that could be addressed by a single intervention. The results will be important to consider for a future intervention, although further consultation will be needed for app development. Two YP with a LTC provided feedback on the study protocol including the aims and procedures of the project. Another six YP with LTCs were consulted on an early draft of the study questionnaire (the four questions), which was subsequently revised. Once the project began, a patient and public involvement group consisting of two YP with LTCs and one parent of a YP with an LTC gave feedback on the research process, lay report of the results and dissemination plan.

Playing with the child within: Early parenthood experiences of parents who were out-of-home placed during childhood

Experience of out-of-home care (OHC) is associated with life-long vulnerability, and research indicates that parents with experiences of OHC are at higher risk of having their own children placed in out-of-home care. However, research on these parents is limited and lacks a resilience perspective. Here, we focused on parents with OHC experience as children but with custody of their own children (N = 12) and asked where these parents can draw strength in parenting, using a standardized interview with focus on thoughts, feelings, and parenting experiences. Importantly, all content related to OHC experience was disclosed in the context of discussing parental caregiving, without any specific questions asked. We investigated whether caregiving representations associated with the ability to promote security in the child were linked to parents’ attachment scripts, comprising implicit expectations of sensitivity and helpfulness in attachment-related interactions, or reflective functioning, denoting the capacity to take the mental perspective of the child. We coded interviews following standardized coding instructions, for reflective thinking and other important variables that capture strategies for processing relational and emotional themes. Narratives in which the parents had spontaneously made references to their childhood experiences were coded through qualitative content analysis. Results showed that autonomous caregiving representations were associated with the content in parents’ attachment scripts but not their reflective functioning. Themes reveal distinct tendencies in these parents’ caregiving representations: Own adverse childhood experiences were often expressed as separation anxiety or feelings of guilt in relation to parenting. An unmet need for support was common , as were concerns about stigma and vulnerability associated with disseminating information about their background. Nevertheless, parental caregiving involves for those parents motivation to break patterns of adversity, provide sensitive parenting, but also understand, accept oneself and develop.

The content of patients' emotional expressions during follow-up consultations for chronic diseases.

In this article, we seek to extract the themes that patients share when they express negative emotions in the context of follow-up consultation of chronic illness. We are mainly interested in patients with chronic illnesses, as these pathologies have a significant emotional overload leading to a significant deterioration of the patient's quality of life. Our corpus included audio recordings of 12 chronic disease follow-up consultations conducted by physicians practicing in neurology, nutrition, internal medicine and infectiology. The 12 patients participating suffer from various chronic diseases: Parkinson's, HIV, diabetes, etc. We performed thematic content analyses on the emotional sequences in order to extract the themes underlying these emotional expressions. The 10 themes we have extracted are related to physical aspects, psychological aspects, the healthcare system and/or the healthcare provider, prognostic elements, social life, family life, aspects of professional life, issues of daily life, treatments and finally, aspects related to objectives and disease progress. Our results show that follow-up consultations for chronic illnesses are consultations during which patients express emotions for different purposes. These emotional expressions concern particular themes that are not found in other forms of medical consultations. We will compare these results in the discussion part of this article.

An Analysis of Orientalist Approaches to Pre-Islamic Poetry From the Perspective of Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin

This article focuses on the pre-Islamic Arabian Jahiliyya period and the significance of the poetry from this era. The Jahiliyya period is considered a reflection of the pre-Islamic Arabian society and culture. The poetry from this period addresses societal, cultural, religious, and emotional themes, laying the foundation for Arabian literature. The poetry of the Jahiliyya period typically revolves around themes such as praise, criticism, yearning, love, heroism, and courage, while also touching upon the beliefs of the time. These poems serve as a rich reflection of Arabian culture and are regarded as crucial sources in Arabic Language and Literature, Arabic Rhetoric, and Islamic sciences. Orientalists, in their exploration of Jahiliyya period poetry, have produced works based on their own perspectives and methodologies. However, some Orientalists, particularly those focused on Jahiliyya poetry, have raised concerns about potential plagiarism and fabrication. These criticisms have evolved from the early views of Theodor Nöldeke to the radical approach of D. S. Margoliouth and the stance adopted by Taha Hussein. Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin, possessing expertise in Classical and Modern Arabic literature sources, has argued for the originality of Jahiliyya poetry. Sezgin supports this claim by drawing upon classical and modern sources, while also critiquing the works of Orientalists. In this article, the reasons behind the suspicion of Jahiliyya poetry being plagiarized or fabricated are elucidated by examining the works of Orientalists. Furthermore, Sezgin's approach and methodology in asserting the authenticity of Jahiliyya poetry are analyzed.

Exploring the impact of computer-mediated emotional interactions on human facial and physiological responses

Remote communication has become pervasive, yet its impact on human emotions, empathy, and physiological responses remains unclear. This study addresses this gap by investigating how emotional video-mediated conversations differ from face-to-face interactions, focusing on behavioral and physiological responses. We create a multimodal dataset of Electrodermal Activity (EDA) signals, Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals, and facial videos from two people conversing about emotional topics in face-to-face and remote video-mediated conditions. We use a series of repeated measures ANOVA with aligned rank transform to compare face-to-face to remote conversation in terms of heart rate activity, electrodermal activity, and facial action units. We also explore how subjective empathy between people varies in these two conditions. Our findings reveal significant differences in physiological responses between face-to-face and remote conversation and variations in perceived empathy based on interaction setting, highlighting the nuanced influence of communication channels. We also show that we can recognize emotions more accurately when we pre-train a random forest classifier with one condition’s data (an increase of 20% to 45% for various modalities). Finally, we discuss the research findings and limitations and offer insights for optimizing human–computer interaction and understanding human emotional responses in an increasingly tech-mediated world.

Survey of Emotional Themes Used in Marketing of Commercial Baby Foods in the UK-Implications for Nutrition Promotion in Early Childhood.

Claims used in the marketing of commercial baby foods are often misleading, and there are concerns that they exploit parental anxieties. We adapted a hierarchical consumer emotions model to explore the emotional themes used in the marketing of commercial baby foods sold in the UK market. A survey administered in three large UK supermarkets collected in-store data on commercial baby food characteristics and the marketing claims used on commercial baby food packaging. The keywords found in these claims were entered in N-Vivo and allocated to four preexisting emotional themes: contentment, happiness, love, and pride. The prevalence of each theme was compared by age suitability (4+, 6+, 9+, and 12+ months) and taste (sweet/savoury) profile. A total of 1666 marketing claims (median 5, IQR 3) and 1003 emotional keywords (median 3, IQR 3) were identified on the packaging of 341 commercial baby foods. Foods suitable for infants aged 6+ months displayed more claims (50%, p < 0.05) and emotional keywords (56%, p = 0.07). Savoury foods displayed more emotional keywords (63%, p < 0.001). The keywords "little", "encourage", "love(ly)", and "tiny" were the most frequently used words under the theme of love (36% total contribution). The emotional connotations of the keywords under the theme "love" are extensively used in the marketing claims on commercial baby food packaging. These might exploit parental vulnerabilities and influence their purchasing of commercial baby foods.

Worried, anxious and uplifted: emotions of Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder when expressing information needs

PurposeTo reveal the emotions and information needs expressed by Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in an online forum, and their relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe 10,062 data were from “Yi Lin”, China’s largest online forum for ASD. Open coding identified parents’ emotions and information needs, and a chi-squared test explored the correlation.FindingsFirst, parents’ emotions were categorized into four themes: emotions about coping with their child’s care, emotions about the parents’ own behavior, emotions about social support with other parents and emotions about anticipating the future. Parents’ overall emotions were negative (72.47%), while the tendency of emotions varied among the four themes. Second, five information needs topics were expressed: intervention and training of ASD, parenting experiences, schooling issues, social interaction and support and future development. Different information needs topics contained different themes of emotions. Third, the tendency of emotions and expression of information needs were significantly correlated. Negative emotions had a statistically significant correlation in expression of information needs.Originality/valueThis study reveals the relationship between the emotions and information needs expressed by parents of children with ASD. The ASD forum could develop emotional support modules and functions for parents and facilitate emotional communication between parents.

Defining tuberculosis stigma: a protocol for a systematic review, analysis, and thematic synthesis

Background Throughout recorded history, tuberculosis is believed to have killed more people than any other infectious disease. Despite the World Health Organization’s determination that preventing and controlling tuberculosis will require understanding and reducing tuberculosis stigma, we noted strikingly diverse definitions and lack of consensus in describing tuberculosis stigma. Furthermore, we found no systematic reviews in the existing tuberculosis stigma literature characterizing, comparing, or assessing tuberculosis stigma definitions or their consistency. To address this knowledge gap, we intend to conduct a systematic review of existing tuberculosis stigma definitions used in the academic research literature, and through quantitative synthesis of the words and phrases contained within those definitions, identify themes that characterize tuberculosis stigma. Methods Studies containing definitions of tuberculosis stigma will be identified by searching two electronic databases -- PubMed and PsycINFO – using the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms “stigma[MeSH Major Topic] AND tuberculosis[MeSH Major Topic]”. Study inclusion criteria will consist of: a) original research published in English, (due to logistical constraints); b) qualitative studies using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions; c) quantitative studies including descriptive studies and trials, questionnaires, and cross-sectional surveys; and d) mixed method studies. Included studies will be searched for definitions of tuberculosis stigma using the search term “defin”. Descriptive words and phrases will be extracted from definitions and categorized into themes, based on noun, verb, adjective, and adverb derivatives; and synonym definitions. Predominant themes will then be identified and further categorized as emotion, thought, or behaviour themes. Relative frequencies of definitions, and definition words and phrases, will be compared quantitively. Conclusions This systematic review and thematic analysis is intended to characterize academic definitions of tuberculosis stigma and identify predominant tuberculosis stigma themes contained within those definitions. Registration PROSPERO (CRD42023440978; 23 July 2023).

White Tears: A Phenomenological Study of Perinatal Loss Perinatal Loss.

Perinatal loss is a traumatic experience for parents. This research was conducted to evaluate the experiences and needs of parents after perinatal loss. An interpretative phenomenological study was carried out between January 2021 and July 2022 with 6 parental pairs (12 people in total, 6 mothers and 6 fathers) who experienced a perinatal loss. Participants were reached by snowball sampling method. Data were collected using semi-structured audio recording interviews that were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes of this study were determined as "attributing meaning to loss", "fragmented parenting roles and expectations", "changing relationships", "expectations from healthcare professionals", and "emotional responses". Five sub-themes were created from the emotional responses theme which included. These are sadness and pain, denial, anger, guilt and fear. In the study, it was concluded that the experience of perinatal loss may have negative consequences on the psychological health of the parents. Therefore, specific, professional, adequate nursing support and continuity of support are needed to help parents cope with perinatal losses.