Search Results (3,270)

Background/Objectives: Uncooperative behavior in pediatric dental settings remains a significant barrier to effective treatment. Factors such as demographics, psychological variables, and family influences may impact children’s behavior, but their relative importance is not fully understood. This study explores the emotional, familial, and demographic factors influencing cooperation among children in dental clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 6–11 years attending dental clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Participants undergoing non-invasive dental procedures were recruited. Behavioral cooperation was assessed using the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale, and dental anxiety was measured using the validated Abeer Children Dental Anxiety Scale (ACDAS). Data on demographic characteristics, child cognitive factors, and parental dental anxiety were collected through structured interviews. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent determinants of cooperative behavior. Results: A total of 906 children were included in the analysis. Demographic variables, including gender, age, and income, were not significantly associated with child behavior (all p > 0.05). Fear of losing control emerged as the strongest predictor in the model. Children reporting fear of losing control had significantly lower odds of cooperative behavior (AOR = 0.14, 95% CI [0.10–0.22], p < 0.001). Shyness in the clinic was not statistically significant (p = 0.216). Maternal dental anxiety was significantly associated with child behavior, with higher maternal anxiety scores linked to lower odds of cooperative behavior (AOR = 0.96, 95% CI [0.93–0.997], p = 0.032). Paternal dental anxiety was not significantly associated with child behavior (p = 0.701). Conclusions: Fear of losing control and maternal dental anxiety were independently associated with children’s behavioral responses during dental visits. These findings highlight the relevance of children’s perceived control and maternal anxiety in understanding behavioral outcomes in pediatric dental settings. Full article

Architectural heritage plays a central role in shaping visitors’ emotional experiences within cultural tourism contexts. However, empirical research examining how specific architectural styles evoke emotional responses remains limited, particularly when using objective measurement techniques. This study investigates emotional reactions to architectural heritage by applying the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theoretical framework. In this model, architectural styles act as environmental stimuli, emotional processing represents the organismic state, and the resulting emotional activation constitutes the response. An experimental protocol was conducted with a sample of 645 participants exposed to a series of standardized architectural heritage images representing different architectural styles and infrastructure types. Emotional reactions were captured in real time through facial emotion recognition technology, enabling the objective measurement of eight basic emotions: neutral, happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger, and contempt. The collected emotional data were statistically analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to identify significant differences in emotional responses across architectural styles, heritage typologies, and gender. When significant differences were detected, Tukey’s HSD post hoc tests were applied to determine specific group contrasts. The findings reveal that different architectural styles generate distinct emotional patterns, highlighting the role of architectural aesthetics as a powerful mediator of affective engagement with heritage environments. From a theoretical perspective, this research contributes to heritage tourism and environmental psychology by integrating the SOR framework with real-time emotion detection technologies, providing a novel methodological approach for analyzing emotional responses to architectural heritage. Full article

This study examined temporal scalp electroencephalography (EEG) absolute power and brief self-reported psychological state measures before and after participation in a Life Story Program (LSP) in older adults. Five older women participated in the study. For each participant, pre- and post-assessments were scheduled at approximately the same time of day and included a brief four-item questionnaire and biosignal acquisition in a controlled seated environment. EEG was recorded at 500 Hz from T5 and T6 during an eyes-closed resting condition. For EEG analysis, only non-speaking segments were used; the initial 3–5 min stabilization period was excluded, and the subsequent 10 min of data were analyzed. One participant was excluded after outlier screening, resulting in a final EEG sample of four participants. EEG preprocessing included linear detrending, 60 Hz notch filtering, 0.5–50 Hz band-pass filtering, artifact rejection, and Welch-based estimation of absolute power in the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands. Given the small sample size, all analyses were treated as exploratory. Questionnaire responses remained generally stable across assessments. No statistically significant pre–post differences were observed after false discovery rate correction, although small reductions, particularly in the gamma band, were observed. These findings should be interpreted as preliminary observations requiring confirmation in larger controlled studies with broader multichannel EEG coverage and more robust recording configurations. Full article

Purpose: This study compared the therapeutic efficacy of different bladder monotherapies and multimodal therapy in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Materials and methods: In total, 190 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of IC/BPS were treated with different bladder therapies. The bladder monotherapies included intravesical platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection (n = 60), intravesical botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) injection (n = 33), intravesical hyaluronic acid (HA) instillation (n = 36), and low-energy shock wave (LESW) bladder therapy (n = 61). Multimodal therapy (MMT) was provided to patients who had unsuccessful initial bladder treatment targeting chronic inflammation, urothelial dysfunction, bladder pain, pelvic floor muscle pain, psychological stress, and lower urinary tract dysfunction. The treatment outcome was assessed using self-reported Global Response Assessment scores at 3 months and during the follow-up time points after bladder treatment. Results: Thirty-one patients received MMT. The 3-month success rates of bladder therapy were 55.0% for PRP injection, 57.6% for BoNT-A injection, 50.0% for HA instillation, 46.7% for LESW bladder therapy, and 58.1% for MMT. The success rates of bladder monotherapy decreased after 6 months. However, the success rate of MMT increased at 9 (67.7%) and 12 (73.1%) months. Patients treated with MMT exhibited improvement in glomerulation grade after cystoscopic hydrodistention. Only patients with successful treatment outcomes after MMT had improvement in bladder pain severity and pelvic floor muscle pain parameters. Conclusions: Bladder monotherapy such as PRP injection, BoNT-A injection, HA instillation, and LESW bladder therapy had successful treatment outcomes in patients with IC/BPS. In patients who had unsuccessful initial bladder therapy, the 3-month success rate of MMT was 58.1% and sustained improvement with time, particularly in the improvement of bladder pain and PFM pain severity. Full article

Waste separation in private households remains difficult to promote, particularly in urban contexts, where anonymity limits informal social monitoring. This proof-of-concept study tested, for the first time, self-administration of images of “watching eyes” as an intervention. About 22% of all households living in the district of Riedberg in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, received a letter asking residents to attach eye cues to kitchen and outdoor waste bins to prompt appropriate separation of organic from residual waste. Objective data from weighed collection trucks showed a measurable behavioral effect compared to control conditions, with a 5–8% increase in biowaste volumes. While this study does not allow causal inference because waste was measured only at the group level, it does suggest that, when applied by residents themselves, social nudges might enhance self-awareness about environmentally conscious behavior. Accompanying survey responses displayed ceiling effects, presumably because only highly motivated individuals participated. Importantly, some signs of reactance were also observed, with some participants perceiving the intervention as intrusive and regulatory. Although low-cost and easy to apply, self-administration of watching-eyes cues requires careful communication and attention to psychological reactions to avoid resistance while encouraging the formation and maintenance of target habits in private environments. Full article

As classrooms become increasingly diverse, achieving equitable and inclusive education is central to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4.7, and to advancing social sustainability in education. Teachers’ multicultural teaching efficacy is a key psychological resource shaping inclusive classroom practice. This study conceptualizes multicultural teaching efficacy as a multidimensional belief system and adopts a person-centered approach to identify latent efficacy profiles among Korean lower secondary school teachers. Using data from the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024, latent profile analysis was conducted based on seven efficacy indicators, with teachers’ social and emotional learning self-efficacy (TSEL-SE) and participation in multicultural education-related professional learning included as covariates. Five distinct efficacy profiles were identified, revealing heterogeneity in both level and configuration. TSEL-SE consistently predicted profile membership, whereas the effects of professional learning varied across profiles and were strongest among teachers with high TSEL-SE, indicating a conditional interaction effect between psychological and experiential resources. Notably, over one-third of teachers belonged to a structurally low efficacy profile, indicating systemic vulnerability. These findings highlight the importance of differentiated and emotionally responsive teacher education strategies for advancing inclusive practice and contributing to SDG 4.7 and broader social sustainability goals. Full article

Negativity as a news value in journalism often implies direct or indirect exposure of journalists to traumatic events in the course of their duties. Hence, the need for resiliency and protection of journalists through organisational support has been advanced in the literature, especially by Global North scholars. However, there seems to be a dearth of such studies within the African context, especially in Ghana. Therefore, this study employs a qualitative approach and case study design to gather data through a focus group discussion with purposively selected officials and interviews with two former journalists with traumatic experience from Multimedia Group Limited to investigate how institutional response to traumatic experience enhances or undermines the psychological well-being of journalists. Data gathered were thematically analysed through the lens of the organisational support theory. Findings reveal that the company is yet to have an institutionalised mental well-being policy. However, it depends on discretion and the severity of traumatic experience to offer support to the journalists before, during and after coverage of traumatic events in an ad hoc manner. The discretionary basis for the support gives room for unhealthy comparisons and subjective interpretations of support given to journalists with traumatic experiences by the company. Full article

Caring for children with physical disabilities can be a daunting responsibility, often placing significant financial, psychological, social and health-related strains on the primary caregivers. This qualitative study explored the experiences of caregivers caring for children with physical disabilities in the Hardap region of Namibia. Using purposive sampling, twenty caregivers were selected as participants in the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interview schedules. Following the interviews, the data were manually analysed and categorised into distinctive themes and sub-themes and summarised in the final report as verbatim quotations. Study findings reveal that caregivers are motivated and determined to provide optimum care for children with physical disabilities under their care by acquiring assistive devices for them and assisting the children with activities of daily living. However, poverty and the general shortage of assistive devices, mostly wheelchairs, provide adverse conditions that are inimical to the development of children’s functional independence in daily living tasks. The burden of carrying the children was noted to be potentially deleterious to the caregivers’ physical health. The study concluded that providing assistive equipment for the children will ease the caregivers’ burden of care while equalising socioeconomic opportunities for both children with physical disabilities and their caregivers. The study only covered a small sample size in a small geographical area of Namibia. Therefore, interpretation and generalisation of the findings need to account for the specific context in the Hardap region of Namibia. Therefore, there remains scope for conducting further research with a larger sample size and one that is more geographically representative of Namibia. Full article

Integrated Demand Response (IDR) enhances the operational flexibility of Integrated Energy Systems (IES) and promotes renewable energy integration. However, limited interaction between the Integrated Energy Operator (IEO) and users during actual energy transactions can lead to biases in IDR planning, compromising user response effectiveness. To address this, this paper proposes a method for revising IDR stimulus parameters in IES based on gradient descent within a Stackelberg game framework. First, an IDR model based on consumer psychology principles is constructed to establish an IES Stackelberg game, in which the IEO acts as the leader and the load aggregator acts as the follower. Subsequently, during the game, the IEO utilizes users’ energy consumption strategies to adjust the stimulus threshold parameters of the dead zone and saturation zone along the negative gradient direction, thereby updating its decision for the next round. Furthermore, a response adjustment mechanism is designed to refine the IDR plan, enhancing its feasibility. Finally, comparative analyses across diverse scenarios demonstrate that the proposed method reduces deviations in planned IDR, thereby enhancing the low-carbon performance and renewable energy integration capacity of IES. Full article

Chronic stress is defined as a prolonged state of emotional disturbance and psychological strain resulting from an inability to maintain internal homeostasis. It is recognized as a significant risk factor for breast cancer, primarily through the chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. This neuroendocrine activation leads to elevated systemic levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glucocorticoids. By binding to their respective adrenergic and glucocorticoid receptors, these hormones disrupt immune homeostasis and exacerbate oxidative stress within the tumor microenvironment. Such physiological shifts promote critical oncogenic processes, including angiogenesis and tumor cell proliferation, thereby driving the development, progression, and distant metastasis of breast cancer. Mastication, or the act of chewing, serves as a practical and effective behavioral strategy for modulating the deleterious effects of chronic psychological stress. Recent animal studies have provided compelling evidence that chewing can attenuate excessive stress responses. Specifically, it has been shown to mitigate stress-induced breast cancer progression and metastasis by modulating the expression of stress hormones, their corresponding receptors, and key downstream signaling pathways. These findings suggest that the rhythmic activity of chewing may exert a protective effect against stress-related tumor exacerbation. Consequently, further clinical research is warranted to determine whether chewing interventions can serve as a viable complementary strategy alongside conventional breast cancer prevention and treatment protocols. Full article

Activism exposes individuals to sustained harassment, threat and psychological strain in contexts marked by discrimination and weak institutional protection. For LGBTQ communities, public engagement frequently increases vulnerability to both offline and digital harm, with cumulative consequences for mental health. Using the Balkans as a case example, this perspective sees activist mental health through a public health and health policy lens, framing distress not as an individual coping failure but as an outcome of structural barriers and minority stress processes, including inadequate legal protection, limited access to culturally competent mental health care and insufficient accountability for platform-mediated harm. This article highlights the population-level implications of unaddressed structural stressors, like burnout, disengagement and reduced sustainability of civil society participation, by situating activist mental health within broader questions of health system performance, access to care and governance. Upstream policy responses that strengthen institutional protection, ensure equitable access to mental health services and promote safer digital environments would address these challenges, positioning activist mental health as a critical public health policy issue. Full article

Tactile somatosensory comfort is a critical factor in ergonomics research, particularly in designing assistive robots for geriatric care. Despite its importance, existing studies lack comprehensive comfort models tailored for optimizing system control in such applications. This study addresses this gap by introducing the first derivation of a tactile somatosensory comfort model that integrates Stevens’ law with the energy transfer function, establishing a link between physical stimuli and psychological responses. Through experimental data collection and parameter fitting, a quantitative relationship between comfort and psychological responses was established, facilitating the development of a novel optimal control model. The model parameters were fitted using the Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) algorithm, while the optimal scrubbing parameters for force (1.68 N) and velocity (36.47 mm/s) were determined via the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. Validation experiments involving 20 participants, which monitored physiological parameters such as heart rate variability (HRV), confirmed the model’s effectiveness in enhancing comfort while ensuring robustness and generalizability. These findings contribute a novel theoretical framework for modelling and applying tactile somatosensory comfort, providing valuable insights for future research and development. Full article

Mental illness has become increasingly prominent in the modern individuation process in China. Correspondingly, contemporary shamanic practices in the north of China have gradually focused on mental issues and have constructed an indigenous concept related to them: “virtual illness.” Based on many years of fieldwork conducted in the shamanic regions of the north of China, this study focuses on the healing practices of local shamans. By integrating theoretical resources on the “self” from sociology and shamanic studies, it explores the cultural practices and therapeutic logic formed by local shamans around the concept of “virtual illness” in addressing contemporary socio-psychological anxiety. Studies indicate that within the shamanic conceptual system of this region, prolonged mental distress is prone to possession by external malevolent spirits, thereby becoming a form of virtual illness. The healing process of possession-type “virtual illness” reflects the regional shamanic approach to explanation and intervention within a framework of a holistic self. This is manifested by attributing misfortune, such as failure and mental illness, to the possessed spiritual identity and conducting spiritual healing on the possessed spiritual identity, while encouraging individuals to maintain a positive and forward-looking state. Together, these actions build a positive psychological foundation for coping with mental illness, providing a unique response pathway to the mental illness triggered by the “individualized self.” Cultural healing practices in the north of China for mental illness not only adapt to the modern Chinese medical system and social context, but also offer a targeted cultural healing perspective for understanding mental illness phenomena in China’s individuation process, thereby promoting philosophical reflection on the concept of the “self.” Full article

With advances in artificial intelligence and computer vision, pose recognition-based feedback systems are increasingly being introduced into dance classes to support movement understanding and error correction. However, how learners interpret and adopt such feedback during actual classroom use, and how this process shapes their intention to continue using the system, remains insufficiently understood. This study develops and validates a three-layer “System–Psychological–Experience” model, with learning experience positioned as the key mechanism linking antecedent factors to usage intention. A sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In Phase 1, interviews were conducted with 20 dance majors to identify factors relevant to classroom integration. In Phase 2, structural equation modeling was performed using 398 valid survey responses. In Phase 3, explanatory interviews with five students and five teachers were conducted to further interpret the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that learning experience was the strongest direct predictor of usage intention (β = 0.409, p < 0.001). At the system layer, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use contributed to usage intention mainly by strengthening learning experience. At the psychological layer, system trust and perceived value showed the same indirect pattern through learning experience. Teaching context also played an important role. Teaching compatibility directly enhanced learning experience, while teacher influence both strengthened learning experience and indirectly contributed to usage intention by increasing system trust and perceived value. Overall, the findings suggest that learners’ intention to continue using pose recognition-based feedback systems is closely associated with their overall learning experience in teacher-mediated classroom practice, and the study offers implications for classroom-oriented design. Full article

Although many studies have demonstrated the positive effects of natural visual and auditory stimuli on human physiological and psychological states, there is limited empirical evidence on the effects on subjective comfort under different thermal environments. This study used a climatic chamber experiment to evaluate the impact of three types of natural stimuli (visual, auditory, and combined audio-visual) on physiological and psychological responses under three operative temperature conditions (26 °C, 28 °C, and 32 °C). In total, 24 participants were recruited. Physiological indicators, including heart rate variability, skin conductance level (SCL), skin temperature (ST), and blood pressure, as well as psychological indicators including thermal sensation (TSV), thermal comfort (TCV), visual comfort (VCV), and acoustic comfort (ACV), were collected. The results show that TCV was significantly and positively correlated with both VCV and ACV. The visual stimuli produced the most significant decrease in TSV and the greatest increase in TCV, while combined audio-visual stimuli had the most significant impact on physiological responses. At 26 °C, the combined audio-visual stimuli group reduced heart rate by 6.08%. However, at 32 °C, most physiological and psychological restoration indicators showed no significant changes. These findings provide theoretical references for health-oriented multisensory environmental design in urban areas. Full article