Search Results (467)

Workplace irritation is a prevalent phenomenon in the hospitality industry and has detrimental effects on both individual and organisational outcomes. Whereas prior research has examined this toxic phenomenon, how irritated employees recover from such status has received limited attention. Based on the principles of attention restoration theory, the current study conceptualises the recovery process from workplace irritation as the restoration of attention and develops a dual-path, moderated-mediation model. Irritated employees may engage in dual parallel recovery paths: positive solitude and social interactions, which thereby enhance their subjective well-being. Furthermore, we employ extraversion as a moderator to regulate engagement across the dual paths. Using a multi-wave survey data collected from 356 hotel employees in China, our findings reveal that both positive solitude and social interactions mediate the relationship between workplace irritation and subjective well-being. Furthermore, our findings also support the moderating role of extraversion within the social interactions path. However, this study does not support a moderating role for this variable within the positive solitude path. Full article

Energy poverty, as an emerging form of poverty, is key to consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation and is also an important cornerstone for promoting energy transformation, social equity, and people’s well-being. Based on data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) for 2018 to 2022, we use the head of household’s subjective happiness to proxy for family happiness. Using a two-way fixed-effects model, we analyze the impact of energy poverty on family happiness and its mechanism from the theoretical and empirical aspects. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Energy poverty has a significant negative impact on family happiness, and the estimated results of instrumental variables after solving endogeneity are consistent. (2) Heterogeneity analysis finds that for families with relatively advantaged economic conditions, such as non-relatively poor families, urban families, and families with no loans, energy poverty significantly reduces their happiness, which contradicts our conventional understanding. (3) Mechanism analysis shows that energy poverty affects income gaps, health status, and economic status, which in turn affect family happiness. The respective percentages coming from the mechanisms of income gap, health status, and economic status are 43.31%, 26.11%, and 9.55%. We directly link energy sustainability, a core area of sustainable development, with residents’ well-being. It fills the systematic research gap on how energy poverty affects household happiness and deepens our understanding of its underlying transmission mechanism. Furthermore, it enriches research on the implementation pathways of energy policy and common prosperity, broadens the boundaries of research in energy economy and social welfare, and provides important practical implications for advancing energy inclusion and rural revitalization within the sustainable development framework. Full article

Unmarried individuals experience lower levels of subjective well-being than married individuals. Some argue that this is due to intrinsic benefits often associated with marriage. Others claim that those who are never married, divorced, or widowed face prejudice, stigma, and discrimination that contribute to their lower levels of subjective well-being. The current research investigates these two perspectives by empirically estimating the role of positive self-view in the happiness levels of different groups by marital status (N = 79,695, excluding missing values). Multilevel regression analyses are conducted using two relevant waves of the European Social Survey (2006 and 2012). The results indicate that unmarried adults show lower levels of positive self-view. However, unmarried individuals derive greater happiness from positive self-esteem, optimism, and a sense of accomplishment than married individuals. In other words, self-view may be impactful in determining the well-being of singles. Full article

The global aging process has increased the number of older individuals providing care for relatives with severe mental disorders (SMD). This population faces unique health challenges. The present cross-sectional study examined the relationship between self-perceived health (SPH) and clinical, functional, and sociodemographic variables among 71 older caregivers (median age: 65 years) in Bogotá, Colombia. SPH was assessed by answering the question: “How would you describe your overall health status?” and dichotomized into good versus poor perception. Comorbidity was measured as the number of self-reported chronic conditions. Caregiver burden was evaluated using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the SF-36, including dimensions such as physical functioning, emotional well-being, bodily pain, and general health. Descriptive analyses, non-parametric comparisons, and logistic regression models were conducted. The results revealed a marked feminization of caregiving (92.96%) and a high prevalence of good SPH (70.42%), despite a substantial burden of physical comorbidities (mean: 3.21). Dimensions such as physical functioning, emotional well-being, and pain were significant in univariate analyses. However, the multivariate model identified general health as the only independent predictor of good SPH (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.112; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.053–1.174; p < 0.001). These findings suggest that subjective health assessment may transcend objective disease counts for older caregivers. Public health policies could prioritize wellness-based interventions and emotional support over traditional disease-centered approaches to improve the quality of life of this growing, active, socially valuable, yet vulnerable population. Full article

Globally, the effects of widowhood on the welfare, health, financial security and education of the widow’s children in many contexts have been the subject of much research. This paper aims to uncover the nexus among culture, gender and language on widowhood dignity and welfare among four chosen African ethnic groups in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The widowhood phenomenon is culture-bound and value-laden as it signposts the reality of existence in the linguistic and cultural contexts in which it is created and operationalised. Through Kimberlé Crenshaw’s 1989 intersectional theory, this paper provides an in-depth, inductive qualitative investigation of the implications of culture, gender, language, and especially the nomenclature that African communities ascribe to the widowed, which in turn stigmatises widowhood. Two (2) South African and two (2) Zimbabwean ethnic groups were purposefully chosen for the multiple case study approach. Grounded theory is the coding framework and analysis technique. The coding starts off with picking key words, phrases and sentences and axial coding which is a higher level in which related data are grouped into sub-themes, themes and global themes. The search revealed that widowhood language, culture and nomenclature denote gendered, culturally contested spaces in which the widowed women especially face dehumanising and dewomanising rituals. The results gathered fall into five broad categories, namely, sexualised widowhood mourning rituals, psychological and emotional widowhood torture rituals, ritualised widowhood dispossession, swearing, movement and space restriction widowhood rituals. The rituals affirm the ascribed socially depressed widowed status implied in the stigmatising nomenclature. The paper recommends redefining widowhood in terms of humanising and womanising language, cultural rituals and nomenclature in the context of equality before the law. Such a move prevents discrimination against the widowed that unintentionally violates their constitutionally espoused right to equality. Full article

Contemporary European societies face overlapping societal challenges—ecological degradation, immigration pressures, and widening economic inequality—which generate a pervasive climate of uncertainty affecting citizens’ perceptions of their own life conditions. This study investigates how social pessimism, conceptualised as a multidimensional orientation reflecting perceived threats across environmental, migratory, and distributive domains, relates to subjective financial insecurity at the individual level. Drawing on harmonised cross-national data from the CRONOS-II panel (N = 8993), covering eleven European countries, we construct a composite pessimism index and analyse its association with perceived financial strain using multivariate and multilevel regression models. Results demonstrate that individuals who express greater societal pessimism report significantly higher levels of financial insecurity, even after controlling for income, education, employment status, and country-level heterogeneity. This relationship is moderated by socioeconomic position; specifically, the pessimism–insecurity link is strongest among lower-income and less-educated groups, suggesting that material precarity and anticipatory anxiety compound one another. Cross-national analysis reveals substantial variation in effect magnitude, with the strongest associations observed in Hungary, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, and the weakest in Slovenia and Iceland. These findings contribute to the interdisciplinary understanding of how macro-level societal concerns permeate individual wellbeing, demonstrating that subjective economic vulnerability is shaped not only by objective circumstances but also by the broader socio-political climate in which citizens interpret their life situations. The results underscore the need for policies that address both material conditions and the affective dimensions of societal uncertainty in order to strengthen social cohesion and reduce perceived economic risk. Theoretically, we frame social pessimism as a formative composite capturing perceived threat to societal stability, offering an integrative perspective on how structurally distinct societal concerns converge to shape economic subjectivities. Full article

Anna Burns’ No Bones has extensively documented its depiction of trauma during the Troubles; less attention has been paid to the systematic mechanisms through which pervasive psychosocial harm is quietly administered and normalised. This article moves beyond readings of individual suffering to diagnose a collective condition, arguing that Burns constructs a veritable architecture of harm: a meticulously designed system operating not through overt aggression alone, but through the mundane, yet powerfully insidious, interplay of social forces governing everyday life. This synthesis reveals how these forces converge to produce what Achille Mbembe terms a death-world: a state of being where populations are subjected to conditions that confer upon them the status of the living dead. Within this necropolitical landscape, the protagonist Amelia’s routines are dictated by shrinking spatial affordances, while incessant rumour functions as a policing mechanism that enforces social death long before physical death is a threat. This analysis demonstrates that harm is not an atmospheric byproduct of conflict, but the very logic of this architecture, which compels the community to participate in its own subjugation. Ultimately, by mapping this architecture, this article reframes Burns’ novel from a historical text of the Troubles into a trenchant meditation on the governance of populations under duress. It offers a vital framework for understanding how quiet harm is spatially engineered, a dynamic with profound relevance for contemporary studies of carceral geographies, algorithm-driven social control, and the politics of atmospheric violence. It posits Burns’ work as a crucial resource for theorising the invisible structures that shape and constrain modern life. Full article

Background/Objectives: Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a triplet repeat expansion in the Fmr1 gene leading to the loss of Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein (Fmr1 protein). The loss of Fmr1 protein modulates many cell biological processes and leads to the emergence of intellectual disability and autism. FXS is modeled in Fmr1-KO mice that display features consistent with human FXS, including hypersensitivity, cognitive and learning deficits, hyperactivity and audiogenic seizures. Here, we investigated the effect of auditory stimulation during a range of developmental stages on recognition memory and sociability deficits in Fmr1-KO mice. Methods: Fmr1-KO mice were subjected to auditory stimulation for 2 min three times a day at one-hour intervals for 5 days at the nursing, juvenile and adult stages. The animals were tested for social interaction and novel object recognition at 2 to 3 months old. Results: During auditory stimulation, the wild running phenotype was observed in the Fmr1-KO juvenile animals and two animals at the nursing stage experienced status epilepticus and died. Fmr1-KO animals showed social deficits compared to both the control and animals exposed to auditory stimulation at the juvenile stage. In the novel object recognition task, auditory stimulation was more effective at the nursing and juvenile stages. Conclusions: These data show that auditory stimulation may be an effective way to restore cognitive and social deficits in FXS. Full article

Delayed marriage and non-marriage have become increasingly important issues in Japan, where marriage remains closely related to household formation and well-being. This study examines which sociodemographic characteristics are associated with being married and how marital status correlates with economic conditions, health behaviors, subjective well-being, and COVID-19-related measures. Using annual panel data from 2014 to 2022, we first conducted descriptive comparisons between married and non-married individuals and then estimated a Bayesian panel logit model with respondent-specific effects to account for unobserved heterogeneity. The analysis was designed to identify associations rather than causal effects. The results showed the strongest positive associations with being married for individuals aged 30–49 years, consistent with delayed marriage. Employment attributes such as holding side work and managerial positions were positively associated with marriage, whereas nonprofit employment and self-employment were negatively or imprecisely associated. Financial assets and total debt were positively correlated with marriage, consistent with joint household formation. Higher happiness and life hope were positively associated with being married; regular exercise and longer weekend sleep were negatively associated, whereas longer weekday sleep was positively associated. In addition, respondent-specific effects revealed substantial heterogeneity beyond observed covariates. These findings identify key socioeconomic and behavioral domains associated with marriage in Japan, highlight the importance of unobserved heterogeneity, and provide evidence that may help identify groups prone to delayed marriage under changing social and economic conditions. Full article

India, the world’s largest producer and consumer of milk, deifies cows. Contemporary Hindu religious beliefs bestow upon the cow the status of a mother who provides humans with life-sustaining food—milk. However, the role of this culturally shaped human–animal dynamic in Indians’ routine dairy consumption remains largely unknown. This study aims to understand the role of cow-related religious beliefs in Indians’ intentions to consume cow dairy products using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model. A quantitative survey was conducted involving 559 Indian adults, utilizing a snowball sampling method. Employing structural equation modeling, the findings indicated that Indians’ dairy consumption intentions are affected by their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control towards the dairy products (p < 0.001). Subjective norms had the most notable influence on dairy consumption intentions (β= 0.29, p < 0.001), and cow-related religious beliefs were a significant moderator of this link (Δβ= 0.11, p < 0.01). These findings show that consuming cow dairy products is a religiously shaped social practice in India. They reveal a conceptual and physical ‘culturalization’ of the cow in Indian society through which the animal is simultaneously sacralized and commodified. This highlights a paradoxical situation where the demand for cow dairy products, which arises significantly from the cow’s sacred, mother-like status, in turn perpetuates the growth and sustenance of the same dairy industry that compromises her wellbeing (Mother-Milk paradox). This irony, therefore, challenges the assumptions surrounding the use of cow dairy products as a normalized socioreligious practice in India, questions the abuse of the cow’s acclaimed sacrality for capitalistic purposes, and calls for further research on Indians’ awareness of the cow’s animality and of the implications of the cow’s religious commodification on the animal’s wellbeing. In this way, a deeper appreciation of the role of sociocultural dynamics in human–animal relations can be obtained, and generate culturally sustainable human–bovine relationships which promote both human and animal wellbeing. Full article

Background/Objectives: HPV vaccination rates among U.S. young adults remain unchanged at 47% since 2019. Barriers including misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, and stigma surrounding HPV’s long-standing association with sexually transmitted infections have limited widespread acceptance among the male population. This experimental study explores how prevention messages incorporating an emotional flow element may influence vaccination intention. It also examines whether vaccination status may differentiate pre-exposure risk-taking tendencies and vaccine perceptions—as well as post-exposure HPV susceptibility, HPV severity, vaccine effectiveness, and emotional response—among young adults. Methods: A one-factor between-subjects experiment (including facts-only vs. facts→threat vs. facts→threat→hope conditions) was conducted online with a group of Gen Z college students at a U.S. university (N = 440). Results: ANCOVA results indicated that emotional flow embedded in the three message conditions did not result in significantly different emotional responses (across all participants) or vaccination intention among the unvaccinated participants. Whereas vaccinated participants reported greater perceived vaccine benefits, HPV susceptibility, HPV severity, and vaccine effectiveness, unvaccinated participants exhibited stronger emotional responses toward the facts→threat→hope message instead. Regression results revealed that vaccine perceptions, risk-taking tendencies, HPV susceptibility, and emotional response significantly predicted vaccination intention, in that order. TV advertising was identified as the leading HPV information source, followed by social media advertisements and recommendations from health professionals. Conclusions: These findings highlight that incorporating emotional flow may enhance message engagement among unvaccinated individuals. HPV campaigns should consider increasing positive vaccine perceptions, alleviating perceived threat of HPV, and eliciting positive emotional response toward vaccination acceptance and adoption. Full article

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which fatigue represents one of the most burdensome symptoms. This multidimensional manifestation extends beyond neuromuscular fatigability and has a substantial impact on daily functioning, mental health, and quality of life. The present study aimed to evaluate the perception of fatigue in patients with MG, with particular emphasis on its interference with everyday activities and the extent to which it is understood by others. Methods: The study included 67 MG patients (61.2% women, mean age 53 years) treated at the Neurology Outpatient Department of the University Clinical Center in Gdańsk. Data were collected using an author-developed survey and standardized instruments: Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ), MG-ADL, MG-QoL15, HADS-M, Mini-COPE, and ACDS. Results: More than 70% of patients reported constant or frequent fatigue. Higher fatigue severity was positively associated with functional impairment (MG-ADL) and lower quality of life (MG-QoL15). More than 70% of patients reported constant or frequent fatigue. Higher fatigue severity was moderately associated with greater functional impairment and poorer quality of life. The extent to which fatigue interfered with daily life was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, poorer self-rated health, and less favorable disease-related perceptions (acceptance and influence). In contrast, perceiving fatigue as being better understood by others was associated with lower anxiety and depression and more favorable disease-related perceptions (acceptance, control, understanding), while it was not significantly related to fatigue severity, functional status, or quality of life. Conclusions: Fatigue in myasthenia gravis is a prevalent symptom, closely related to functional impairment and reduced quality of life. Different aspects of fatigue perception show distinct psychosocial correlates, highlighting the importance of considering subjective and social dimensions of fatigue alongside its severity. These findings support the relevance of psychosocial factors in the comprehensive care of patients with MG. Full article

Background: “Healthy Life Longevity” (a latent variable) is defined as the number of survival days, along with recommended subjective health and long-term care needs. This study aimed to clarify the structural relationships among several related factors. Methods: In September 2001, a postal survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among 16,462 elderly residents of Tokyo. In a cohort study, 8162 individuals with confirmed survival after six years were examined. We analyzed data to evaluate the need for long-term care three years after the initial survey. Additionally, the number of days survived was calculated from the third year after the initial survey. Covariance structure analysis was used to explore the structural relationships. Results: The direct effects of lifestyle habits, including a healthy diet, dental care rather than physician care, and socioeconomic factors, were minimal in improving “Healthy Life Longevity.” However, a structural relationship was established: desirable lifestyles, including diet and dental care, were selected based on socioeconomic status, thereby influencing mental, physical, and social health and reducing disease incidence. This relationship ultimately enhanced “Healthy Life Longevity.” Socioeconomic factors were identified as confounders in the association between preferred lifestyle choices, including diet, and Healthy Life Longevity. The determination coefficient of “Healthy Life Longevity” is 83%. Conclusions: Although healthy longevity can be achieved by improving mental, physical, and social health, and reducing disease burden, the relevant structure is shaped by socioeconomic status. Additionally, socioeconomic status is associated with healthy longevity by facilitating the choice of a preferred lifestyle, including diet, and the selection of a dentist. Future randomized intervention studies focused on socioeconomic status should explore ways to promote healthy longevity. Full article

Background: Discogenic low back pain (LBP) is a significant therapeutic and social problem. Discopathy is associated with neurological symptoms that severely disrupt the patient’s functional status. Regardless of the choice of neurosurgical procedure for discopathy, its effectiveness highly varies. Aims: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of neurosurgical treatment and neurorehabilitation procedures based on a comprehensive analysis of a number of neurological symptoms and the functional status of patients with chronic discogenic LBP. Material and Methods: This study involved 110 patients (56 women and 54 men) who underwent first-ever lumbar spine surgery. Before the surgery and 3 months after the hospital discharge, all patients were subjected to neurological examination and comprehensive assessment of neurological symptoms. Results: After the procedure, improvement was shown in sensory disturbance (p < 0.0001), pain (p < 0.0001), and sexual dysfunction (p < 0.0001). The results of lower limb paresis, monoplegia, and sphincter complications remained non-significant. A reduction in scoliosis (p = 0.0040) and lumbar pain (p < 0.0001) was observed. There was a reduction in pain in the lower leg (p = 0.0136) and foot (p = 0.0122) during movements. Improvement in passive and active mobility as well as pain reduction in the lumbar spine area were demonstrated (p < 0.0001). There was significant improvement in the knee and ankle reflexes (p < 0.0001). There were no significant changes in the superficial sensation. In the functional assessment, an improvement in the toe-to-floor test of 13.3 cm was confirmed (p < 0.0001), while there was no difference in the Lasègue’s test. Conclusions: The general and neurological condition of patients with LBP significantly improved after the spine surgery. The improvement included mainly a reduction in pain and sensory disturbances, return of deep reflexes, and increased mobility of the lower limbs and spine. Full article

Background: Suicide represents a challenging societal question. There is a correlation between multi-comorbidity (mental, addictive, social, and physical) and excess suicide. Aside from recognizing this correlation, our understanding of employment’s impact on psychache in adults with the multi-comorbidity of schizophrenia and multi-substance use disorders remains incomplete. Methods: This individual survey of 88 inpatients (with multi-comorbidity) examined the hypothetical impact of preadmission employment on psychache intensity. Fifty of them (56.8%) reported being employed prior to admission, while thirty-eight of them (43.2%) reported they were not. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in this survey before inclusion. Results: The findings demonstrated that the connection between general self-efficacy and current psychache intensity is dependent on the subjects’ preadmission employment status, with a stronger negative correlation observed in subjects who worked prior to admission (p < 0.001). Employment status provided the moderator variable in the association between general self-efficacy and current psychache intensity (p < 0.001). Conclusions: These measures are crucial for balancing work and psychache as well as translating the findings regarding the social nature of health and well-being into real-world application of suicide prevention in individuals with multi-comorbidity. Full article