Turkish Participants Research Articles

Serum pentraxin-3 expression varies according to polycystic ovary syndrome phenotypes.

Pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) is a multibiological protein involved in cumulus cell expansion, fertilization, and implantation. This study was designed to analyze how circulating PTX-3 levels change in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A total of 50 Turkish participants, 35 of whom had PCOS and 15 of whom were fertile, were included in the study. Patients in the PCOS group were divided into 4 different phenotypes according to the NIH criteria (phenotypes A-D). The number of patients in phenotype A was the highest 13 (37.1%). In the calculations made without phenotyping, the serum ptx3 levels of the PCOS group were found to be significantly lower compared to the fertile control group (3.32 ± 0.73 ng/mL vs 4.97 ± 1.29 ng/mL; P < .001). The ptx3 value of phenotypes A and B was significantly lower than phenotype D (P = .008 and P = .009, respectively). When the phenotypes were compared with the fertile control group, the PTX-3 levels of phenotypes A and B were significantly lower than the fertile group. Although the ptx3 levels of phenotypes C and D were lower than the fertile group, the difference did not reach statistical significance. This is the first study to investigate serum ptx3 levels by phenotype in PCOS. While serum PTX-3 levels decreased in phenotypes A and B, ptx3 levels in phenotypes C and D were similar in fertile patients.

The effect of knowledge and person-related factors on breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1/2) testing perception in Turkish women.

Genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1/2) plays a pivotal role in risk assessment and preventive interventions. However, individuals' awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward genetic testing can vary across different societies. This study focuses on understanding Turkish women's knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward BRCA1/2 testing, considering demographic factors and awareness. In this cross-sectional study, 301 Turkish participants, including breast/ovarian cancer patients and their first-degree relatives, were surveyed. Information on sociodemographics, cancer history, awareness, knowledge, and perceptions was collected. The study aimed to assess knowledge levels about breast cancer inheritance and BRCA1/2 testing, describe perspectives about testing in women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, and determine associations between knowledge, personal factors, anxiety, and genetic testing perspectives. Results showed a wide range in correct responses (31.6%-96.7%) for knowledge items. No significant relationship between knowledge levels and positive perception was observed. However, participants answering a specific question incorrectly showed higher negative perceptions. While most participants recognized the benefits of genetic testing, concerns centered around passing the genes to future generations. Participants who were younger, more educated, had higher income, were employed, at an earlier disease stage, and were social media users demonstrated more positive attitudes. Negative perceptions were higher among younger patients, physicians, and healthcare professionals. Interestingly, anxiety in cancer patients did not correlate with either positive or negative perceptions. In conclusion, this study identifies participant-related factors influencing perceptions of hereditary genetic tests. Understanding these factors and addressing associated issues can enhance the utilization of genetic testing and promote preventive oncology applications.

Context, transparency and culture in motor resonance phenomena: Causal evidence of the motor cortex

A connection between language and movement information in metaphorical and literal expressions activates the motor system. Despite numerous studies exploring distinctions between idioms and metaphors, a notable research gap remains in the specific effect of idioms with different transparency levels concerning motor resonance. Our primary focus was analysing the functional role of the primary motor cortex (M1) in processing hand motor verbs both in literal expressions and in two idiomatic contexts, i.e., opaque and transparent idioms. Additionally, we explored a potential language and cultural effect by comparing Turkish and Spanish speakers. An overt priming task with self-paced reading was used to judge the relatedness of a primer and a target sentence. We implemented a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol using continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) compared to sham stimulation over the M1 in both Turkish and Spanish native speakers prior to the experimental task. Our findings reveal that the performance of Turkish and Spanish participants in processing hand motor actions was facilitated after the application of cTBS over the left M1. Moreover, brain stimulation specifically facilitated the processing of only transparent—but not opaque—idioms in both Spanish and Turkish participants. Our study reports distinct motor resonance results between different types of idioms with a parallel cross-cultural effect.

Looking at cyberbullying from different perspectives and roles: an online process drama research with Turkish participants

ABSTRACT This research explores how a process drama workshop on cyberbullying can be carried out in digital space with adults, aiming to understand participants’ perspectives on cyberbullying and the workshop itself using online tools. During the research, process drama was used as a participatory research method. Participants from various cities in Türkiye created a dramatic fiction collectively and performed improvisations on cyberbullying. They evaluated the process drama workshop, and various drama strategies, and Web 2.0 tools employed during the workshop. They discussed how process drama can help in understanding cyberbullying issues, and they proposed various solutions to address the problem.

Navigating Interreligious Differences in Spiritual/Pastoral Care: An Empirical Study on Turkish Muslim and German Christian Spiritual/Pastoral Caregivers

As an outgrowth of globalization, religious globalization has significantly transformed the religious landscape worldwide. Contemporary societies exhibit religious pluralism, posing challenges for services such as spiritual or pastoral care. This study aimed to investigate how pastoral/spiritual caregivers of divergent cultural and religious backgrounds navigate religious diversity and how their religious location influences their inter-religious relations. Data were gathered through a standardized open-ended interview protocol. The study sample consisted of German Christian pastoral caregivers and Turkish Muslim spiritual caregivers from Germany and Turkey, respectively (N = 67). Overall, the entire sample expressed a generally positive attitude towards providing spiritual/pastoral care (S/PC) to individuals of other religious affiliations. German participants emphasized a human-centered approach towards individuals from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, whereas Turkish participants placed greater emphasis on the qualifications of the caregiver. Turkish participants exhibited less exposure to other cultures/religions compared to their German counterparts, yet both subsamples responded positively to requests for care from individuals of different faiths. Both subsamples adhered to standard procedures during S/PC visits. German participants were more inclined to incorporate elements from other religions/cultures into their S/PC work compared to Turkish participants. The majority of participants regarded their respective institutions (Church/Diyanet) as responsible for addressing the spiritual needs of others. However, the German subsample displayed greater reluctance towards the employment of pastoral caregivers from different religious backgrounds by their institution, as opposed to the Turkish subsample.

Social acceptance of Turkish middle school and Syrian refugee children towards individuals with autism

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine and comparatively examine the level of social acceptance that Syrian refugee and Turkish middle school students feel towards individuals with autism and to compare that acceptance with that of individuals in other special needs groups. Methods The study group consisted of 378 typically developing children who were studying at the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade levels. Of the participants, 108 were Syrian refugee students and 270 were Turkish students. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the participants to determine the level of willingness of the students to be in the same neighborhood, school, class, group or desk with individuals with autism. Results According to the findings of the study, Turkish participants felt a higher level of social acceptance towards individuals with autism than Syrian refugee participants. On the other hand, both Syrian refugee and Turkish students were found to feel less social acceptance towards individuals with autism compared to groups with other disabilities. The study also revealed that the participants had various prejudices and their perceptions were shaped by misinformation or incomplete information about individuals with autism. Conclusions Efforts should be made to positively change the attitudes of all students, especially Syrian refugee students, towards the social acceptance of individuals with autism in Turkey.

Voices from the field: Integrating e-portfolios in early childhood education

Digital technologies are increasingly integrated into early childhood education (ECE), prompting discussions regarding their potential benefits and drawbacks. Research has shown that technology designed for children’s developmental needs can enhance learning and development, while also improving communication between parents, teachers, and children. However, issues like access, equity, ethics, and teacher workload require careful consideration. This qualitative study explores the expected outcomes of integrating e-portfolios into ECE through one-on-one interviews with key stakeholder groups. After gathering general opinions, the participants were asked to provide detailed feedback on how the application affects children, teachers, and parents. In addition to revealing a diverse range of voices regarding the implementation of e-portfolios, this study aims to utilize the information gathered from participants for informed decision-making, offering valuable insights for the improved e-portfolio design and implementation. The study involved 34 Turkish participants from five stakeholder categories: ECE and primary school teachers, faculty members from ECE and primary school education departments, and parents. Results revealed that e-portfolios were viewed as highly beneficial, providing permanent and comprehensive documentation, facilitating data transfer to subsequent schooling levels, enabling multidimensional assessment, promoting child-centred practices, improving communication, enhancing reflective thinking and digital skills, and allowing resource utilization. However, participants raised concerns about workload, documentation gaps, and ethical issues. While e-portfolios hold promise for integrating digital technologies into ECE, current teacher education may lack sufficient training in key areas like digital literacy, documentation, assessment, and ethics. Further education in these areas can help ensure effective implementation and positive outcomes.

A cross-cultural research on the employment of migrants: Social representations of job seekers in Poland and Turkey

Aim: The main aim of the study is to reveal the social representations of local job seekers towards employment of migrants who are a part of the labor market in Poland and Turkey. As social representations have been one of the crucial and preferred concepts to find out individuals' perceptions of any subject, determining the direction of social representations of Turkish and Polish job seekers (positive or negative) and comparing the revealed social representations between Turkish and Polish participants are other aims of this study. Method: 30 participants (15 Turkish and 15 Polish) between 22-30 ages from Turkey and Poland have taken part in this research based on the maximum variation sampling, and the first part of the social representations survey instrument (the part which consists of the free associations form) proposed by Tsoukalas (2006) has been used to reach out to participants' representations. The data has been analyzed and presented in tables for each country through content analysis and the results have been discussed based on the comparisons. Findings: The results have shown that Turkish and Polish participants created the same number of groups (45 groups each) in total. The similarities between social representations of Turkish and Polish participants are higher than the differences, however, it is possible to assume that Turkish participants tend to provide more negative social representations regarding the employment of migrants. Conclusions: The social representations of Turkish participants about the employment of migrants refer to situations that related to “economic, job market, social, emotional, psychological, cultural, different challenges during daily life for locals and migrants, and some positive sides/contributions to migrants of being a migrant in the country”. The social representations of Polish participants about the employment of migrants refer to situations that related to “procedural and formal issues, social and cultural aspects, challenges regarding the economy and job market, emotional reactions, outputs of migrants, and some positive sides/contributions of migrants to society as being a migrant in the country such as diversity and some other positive effect of migrants”.

Maternal and Paternal Hostility and Adolescents’ Emotional Problems: The Moderated-Moderation Model by Gender and Age

Hostility is a key dimension of parenting for adolescent outcomes. This study purposed to examine the predictive effect of maternal and paternal hostility on adolescents’ emotional problems and whether adolescent gender and age moderated this relationship. These aims were examined in a sample of 1,408 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years and their cohabiting mothers and fathers, with a total of 4224 Turkish participants. The findings demonstrated that maternal and paternal hostility were linked to adolescents’ emotional problems regardless of gender and age. In addition, girl adolescents exposed to maternal hostility reported more emotional problems than boys exposed to maternal hostility. Overall, adolescents’ age and gender did not moderate the relationship between parental hostility and adolescents’ emotional problems. As a result, parental hostility seemed to be an important risk factor for adolescents’ emotional problems.

DOES STRESS MAKE YOU FEEL OLDER? A DAILY DIARY STUDY OF SUBJECTIVE AGING, STRESS, AND UPLIFTS IN TURKIYE

Abstract Subjective aging, how one perceives their age, is associated with psychological, emotional, and social well-being. Adults’ subjective perceptions of their age are malleable and can fluctuate on a daily basis, influenced by various life events such as experiencing stress or uplifts. We conducted a 14-day daily diary study to assess how subjective age and ageist attitudes are predicted by daily stressful events and uplifts in Turkey/Turkiye. 68 Turkish participants aged 50 to 90 years (M= 57) responded to subjective age, ageist attitudes, stress, and uplifts questionnaires every day. Multilevel model analyses indicated that individuals perceived themselves as emotionally and physically older on days when they encountered more stressors and fewer uplifting events. Additionally, on those days, participants reported that they looked and behaved older than their chronological ages. Uplifts corresponded negatively to ageist attitudes; individuals who experienced more uplifting events during the day had fewer negative judgments of aging. Taking age as a subjective construct, these results suggest that having fewer stressors in daily life changes people’s feelings about their aging process. In addition, involvement in uplifts can buffer ageist attitudes on a daily basis.

Valence and perceived control in personal and collective future thinking: the relation to psychological well-being

ABSTRACT Prior studies have shown that people imagine their personal future to be more positive than their country’s collective future. The present research extends the nascent literature by examining the valence and perceived control of personal and national future events in a new experimental paradigm, the cultural generalizability of the findings, and the relation of future thinking to psychological well-being. US college students (Study 1) and US and Turkish community participants (Study 2) imagined what might happen to them and their country in three time points (i.e., next week, next year, and in 10–15 years). They then rated the emotional valence and perceived control of the events and completed a psychological well-being measure. Both US and Turkish participants imagined their personal future to be more positive than their country’s future, whereas they attributed higher perceived control to their countries for national future events than to themselves for personal future events. The positivity of national (Study 1) and personal future events (Study 2) predicted better psychological well-being, whereas perceived control did not. These original findings enrich our theoretical understanding of future thinking.

Tekrarlı Yıkamaların ve Yapısal Parametrelerin Japon Tüketicilerin Havlu Kumaş Tercihine Etkisi ve Türk Tüketicilerle Karşılaştırılması

The objective of this research is to determine the effects of weft yarn count, weft density and repeated laundering effects on terry fabric preference of Japanese participants and to compare with the preferences of Turkish participants. In addition, the terry fabric samples are evaluated by Japanese panelists in order to determine the importance of characteristics related to preference. Terry samples woven with nine different constructions are subjected to 5, 10, 20 and 40 washing cycles in a household washing machine before subjective evaluations. The subjective evaluations are performed in two steps with a total of 40 Japanese volunteers consisting 20 men and 20 women at the ages of 18-25 years. Both Japanese and Turkish participants preferred terry fabric samples woven with finer weft yarns at a higher rate. The preference rate for terry fabrics decreased with increasing washings cycles among the participants of both countries. In addition, the most important characteristics related to preference of Japanese participants has been revealed.

The prosocial and pro-environmental aspects of authenticity and the mediating role of self-transcendence

ABSTRACT A considerable body of relevant literature has grown up around the theme of authenticity, showing the critical role it has in relation to a variety of indicators of individual well-being. The personal benefits of authenticity are now well documented. However, in this paper we hypothesize that authenticity is not only beneficial to the person themselves, but that it also promotes prosociality and ecological sensitivity. This study used cross-sectional data from one hundred and twenty-nine Turkish participants, who completed Turkish version of the Authenticity Scale, The Environmental Behavior Scale, The Helping Attitudes Scale and The Self-Transcendence Scale. The findings reported here show that greater authenticity was associated with more favorable attitudes to helping others and engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. Furthermore, the present research explored, for the first time, the effects of self-transcendence. The results showed that the associations between authenticity and helping attitudes of altruism as well as receiving and giving were mediated by self-transcendence. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed in terms of humanistic perspectives on authenticity.

Determination of pre-pregnancy fear of childbirth levels in Turkish and Syrian refugee individuals with no children: A comparative study.

This study was conducted to determine pre-pregnancy fear of childbirth levels and related factors in Turkish and Syrian refugee individuals with no children. A cross-sectional-descriptive design was used. The study was carried out between September 29 and November 15, 2022 with Turkish and Syrian refugee women with no children who presented to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Polyclinic of a state hospital and their spouses. A total of 545 people, including the spouses of the women who wanted to participate, were included in the study. The data were collected by the researcher in the waiting room of the outpatient clinic by using the face-to-face interview method. A Personal Information Form and the Childbirth Fear-Prior to Pregnancy Scale were used to collect the research data. There was no statistically significant relationship between participants' culture and their age, education level, employment status, family type, income level, and birth preferences (p>0.05), and the groups were independent and homogeneous in terms of the specified characteristics. It was determined that Syrian refugee women had a significantly higher total score on the Childbirth Fear-Prior to Pregnancy Scale than Turkish women. Also, the score of Syrian refugee men on the same scale was significantly higher than that of Turkish men. A statistically significant difference was found between the total scores of the Turkish and Syrian participants according to age, education level, and preferred mode of birth. In the current study, it was determined that both genders and cultures had a fear of childbirth, although it was more common in women and Syrian refugees. According to the findings of the study, culture, gender, age, education level, and preferred mode of birth were factors related to childbirth fear prior to pregnancy.

When cause familiarity leads to positive attitudes toward brands in a cause–brand alliance: a cross-cultural study during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeBuilding on construal level theory and applying the hypothetical distance dimension, this cross-cultural study (individualistic vs collectivistic culture) aims to explore the effects of cause familiarity on individuals' attitudes toward a brand and how cause–brand fit mediates this relationship. Furthermore, this study explores how perceived betrayal moderates the relationship between cause–brand fit and attitude toward a brand.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research design was adopted. Data collection was performed through snowball sampling of French and Turkish participants (N = 455). The collected data were then analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.FindingsThe results reveal a significant effect of cause familiarity on attitude toward the brand, wherein one's attitude toward fit in a cause–brand alliance serves as a mediator in this relationship. The results also indicate that perceived betrayal moderates the relationship between cause–brand fit and attitude toward a brand. However, when it comes to facing a global pandemic, culture has no significant effect on consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward cause–brand alliances.Originality/valueThis research investigates the enhancement of attitudes toward a brand through an alliance with a familiar cause and explains this relationship via attitudes toward fit in such an alliance. Moreover, it provides novel insights into perceived betrayal as a variable that can lead to a more pronounced relationship between attitude toward fit and attitude toward a brand.

An investigation on the effect of enneagram types on organisational dissent

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Enneagram personality types on organisational dissent strategies. A convenience sampling was used and 509 Turkish participants completed the online survey questionnaire. Basic Linear Regression Analysis using SPSS 24.0 was used to analyse the data. The results show that “the Peacemaker” and “the Helper” have a negative effect on organisational dissent. On the other hand, “the Adventurer” and “the Skeptic” personality types have a positive effect on organisational dissent. For articulated dissent, the Peace-maker” and “the Helper” both have a negative effect whereas “the Adventurer” type has a high positive effect. Lastly “the Observer” and “the Skeptic” have a positive effect on latent dissent. Considering these results, it can be said that extraverted and fearless employees use articulated dissent more. In addition, latent dissent is used more by employees who have commitment to the job and who like to keep quiet and focus on the task at hand rather than to create an unexpected result. Overall, the results support the association between certain Enneagram personality types and employee dissent. Organisations might use the findings to create a more open and democratic organisational climate that supports the expression of different ideas and thoughts in order to achieve greater success in the employees’ personal targets and organisational targets. Organisational leaders may apply the study outcomes regarding the role of employee personality to create an objective employee selection process in order to find and assign the right person to the right job.

Academic Encouragement and Academic Wellbeing: Mediating Roles of Grit and Hope.

Academic encouragement provides opportunities for individuals to achieve their educational objectives and influences both academic satisfaction and academic self-efficacy of individuals. In this study, academic self-efficacy and academic satisfaction constitute academic wellbeing. There is a gap in the literature on which concepts of academic encouragement predict academic wellbeing. This demonstrates the originality of the research. In this direction, there are two main purposes in this study. The first of these aims is to adapt the Academic Encouragement Scale to Turkish culture. The second aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between academic encouragement, hope, grit, and academic wellbeing. Based on these two purposes, data were collected from 731 Turkish participants using the Academic Encouragement Scale, Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Academic Satisfaction Scale, Dispositional Hope Scale, and Short Grit Scale. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) revealed that the two-factor structure of the original scale was preserved in Turkish culture. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis showed that grit and hope played a mediating role in the relationship between academic encouragement and academic wellbeing. The bootstrapping analysis results confirmed the importance of indirect effects. In this context, some pedagogical implications were discussed at the end of the study, and suggestions were provided accordingly.

The Effects of Brand Hypocrisy on Consumer Evaluations and Behaviors: Moderating Role of Nutrition Consciousness

Many individuals accuse brands of hypocrisy for lacking transparency and sincerity, which could harm the brands’ image and lead to negative evaluations. Accusations of hypocrisy can also result in negative behavioral outcomes, such as brand distance and negative word of mouth (nWOM). This is particularly true for food brands, as it depends on individuals’ nutrition consciousness. Therefore, this study aims to explore the serial mediating effect of brand image and brand evaluations of the effect of the brand (mission) hypocrisy on both brand distance and nWOM, and the moderating role of nutrition consciousness on these indirect effects. Data was collected from 463 Turkish participants, and moderated serial mediation analyses were performed to test the research hypotheses. As a result, brand hypocrisy has a direct effect on brand evaluations, brand distance, and nWOM; nutrition consciousness has a moderating role on the effect of brand hypocrisy on brand image, and finally, brand image and brand evaluations serially mediate the effect of brand hypocrisy on brand distance and nWOM, where nutrition consciousness moderates both indirect effects. Thus, the current study theoretically and empirically advances the limited literature on brand hypocrisy and nutrition consciousness, and focuses on the assessment process of individuals and its behavioral outcomes.

Prevalence of fast-food intake among a multi-ethnic population of middle-aged men and connection with sociodemographic factors and obesity.

Adults are increasingly eating fast-food, which is connected to adverse health outcomes such as obesity and chronic diseases. This work was carried out to study the prevalence of fast-food intake among a multi-ethnic population of middle-aged men and its connection with sociodemographic factors and obesity. This cross-sectional study enrolled 1800 middle-aged men from Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to assess participants fast-food intake frequency. Fast-food was consumed weekly by 87.8% of participants and daily by 45.6% of participants. The nationality of participants was determined as a predictor of fast-food intake. The highest and lowest prevalence of weekly fast-food intake was reported among Turkish (99.6%) and Sudanese (48.3%) participants. The highest and lowest daily intake rates were reported among participants from the Philippines (85.9%) and Bangladesh (10.0%). Another factor predicting fast-food intake was obesity. Obese participants had a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) of weekly (OR = 5.83, P <.001) and daily (OR = 1.93, P <.001) fast-food intake than non-overweight/nonobese participants. Fast-food intake was prevalent among middle-aged men who reside in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results connect fast-food intake with nationality and obesity.

The role of ethnic identification, allyship, and conflict narratives in supporting pro-minority policies among majority and minority groups.

Using the context of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict, Studies 1 and 2 tested how ethnic identification predicted support for minority rights through the pathway of the endorsement of the conflict narrative of the minority group (i.e., independence narrative) among Kurds (Study 1) and Turks (Study 2) in Turkey. Study 2 also tested whether the paths between (a) ethnic identification and endorsement of the minority group's conflict narrative and (b) endorsement of the minority group's conflict and support for minority rights would be moderated by ally identification (i.e., Turkish ally identification). 201 self-identified Kurdish participants in Study 1 and 271 self-identified Turkish participants in Study 2 participated in an online survey voluntarily. In Study 1, stronger Kurdish identification predicted more support for minority rights through the pathway of more endorsement of the independence narrative. Study 2 showed the opposite findings with regard to the relationship between ethnic identification and support for minority rights. For the majority group, higher ethnic identification predicted less support for minority rights, through the pathway of less endorsement of the minority group's conflict narrative. Study 2 also found that the strength of the relationship between (a) ethnic identification and endorsement of the minority group's conflict narrative is particularly strong among strong allies, whereas the strength of the relationship between (b) endorsement of the minority group's conflict narrative and support for minority rights is particularly strong among weak allies. Results point to the important relationship between ethnic and ally identities, conflict narratives, and intergroup-related outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).