Search Results (261)

Objective: This study aimed to improve the understanding of the lives of patients with chronic neuropathic pain planned for invasive motor cortex stimulation (iMCS) and assess their expectations towards this intervention and its impact. Methods: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted until saturation of data was reached. Patients were recruited from one university medical center in the Netherlands. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subjected to thematic analysis using iterative and inductive coding by two researchers independently. Results: Fifteen patients were included (11 females; mean age 63 ± 9.4 yrs). Analysis of the coded interviews revealed seven themes: (1) the consequences of living with chronic neuropathic pain; (2) loss of autonomy and performing usual activities; (3) balancing energy and mood; (4) intimacy; (5) feeling understood and accepted; (6) meaning of life; and (7) the expectations of iMCS treatment. Conclusions: This is the first qualitative study that describes the suffering of patients with chronic neuropathic pain, and their expectations prior to invasive brain stimulation. Significant themes in the lives of patients with chronic pain have been brought to light. The findings strengthen communication between physicians, caregivers, and patients. Practice Implications: The insights gathered from the interviews create a structured framework for comprehending the values and expectations of patients living with central pain and reveal the impact of symptoms due to the central pain. This knowledge improves the communication between physicians and caregivers on one side and the patient on the other side. Furthermore, the framework enhances the capacity for shared decision-making, particularly in managing expectations related to iMCS. Full article

Background: Parents of children with type 1 diabetes play a key role in managing their child’s self-management, which can be stressful and burdensome. High involvement can lead to reactions such as emotional, cognitive, and physical exhaustion in parents. Understanding parents’ psychosocial impact due to their child’s disease is crucial for the family’s overall well-being. The purpose of this study was to describe stress and burden experienced by parents in families with children living with type 1 diabetes. Methods: This study utilized a qualitative approach, analyzing interviews with 16 parents of children aged 10 to 17 years living with T1D through qualitative content analysis. The data collection occurred between January and February 2025. Results: Managing a child’s Type 1 diabetes can be tough on family relationships, affecting how partners interact, intimacy, and sibling relationships. The constant stress and worry might leave parents feeling exhausted, unable to sleep, and struggling to think clearly, on top of the pain of losing a normal everyday life. The delicate balance between allowing a child with type 1 diabetes to be independent and maintaining control over their self-management renders these challenges even more demanding for the parents. Conclusions: Parents’ experiences highlight the need for robust support systems, including dependable school environments, trustworthy technical devices, reliable family and friends, and accessible healthcare guidance. These elements are essential not only for the child’s health and well-being but also for alleviating the emotional and practical burdens parents face. Full article

Sexuality and intimacy are essential aspects of the human experience for all people, contributing significantly to physical and emotional connections, well-being, and quality of life. Despite their importance, these topics are frequently overlooked in stroke rehabilitation, especially for those with cognitive and perceptual impairments. Existing research on post-stroke sexual rehabilitation tends to focus on sexual dysfunction and the secondary physical and psychological stroke symptoms, with little attention to cognitive and perceptual impairments. Cognitive deficits, such as decreased memory, generalized attention, and executive function not only can hinder sexual participation but also raise the complex issue of capacity to consent. This paper argues that it is imperative for researchers and healthcare practitioners to address cognitive and perceptual challenges, understand consent laws in their respective regions, and consider the influence of culture and social norms in order to support the sexual rights and well-being of all stroke survivors. Furthermore, this article provides some practical recommendations, from an occupational therapy perspective, that healthcare practitioners can provide to clients and their partners. Full article

This paper introduces the concept of degenerative affordances to explain how social media can unintentionally destabilise family-run influencer businesses. While affordance theory typically highlights the enabling features of technology, the researchers shift the focus to its unintended, risk-laden consequences, particularly within family enterprises where professional and personal identities are deeply entangled. Drawing on platform capitalism, family business research, and intersectional feminist critiques, the researchers develop a theoretical model to examine how social media affordances contribute to role confusion, privacy breaches, and trust erosion. Using a mixed-methods design, the researchers combine narrative interviews (n = 20) with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) on survey data (n = 320) from family-based influencers. This study’s findings reveal a high explanatory power (R² = 0.934) for how digital platforms mediate entrepreneurial legitimacy through interpersonal trust and role dynamics. Notably, trust emerges as a key mediating mechanism linking social media engagement to perceptions of business legitimacy. This paper advances three core contributions: (1) introducing degenerative affordance as a novel extension of affordance theory; (2) unpacking how digitally mediated role confusion and privacy breaches function as internal threats to legitimacy in family businesses; and (3) problematising the epistemic assumptions embedded in entrepreneurial legitimacy itself. This study’s results call for a rethinking of how digital platforms, family roles, and entrepreneurial identities co-constitute each other under the pressures of visibility, intimacy, and algorithmic governance. The paper concludes with implications for influencer labour regulation, platform accountability, and the ethics of digital family entrepreneurship. Full article

Background: Sexuality is a central aspect of being human, even if people experience it in different ways in various stages of life. Sexuality in older people may be expressed, as well as affection, companionship, touch, and physical contact. However, older peoples’ sexual needs are not properly considered by themselves, caregivers, or healthcare professionals. Reviews on barriers related to identification and satisfaction of sexual needs of people living in nursing home are scarce. In this scenario we intended to summarize the state of evidence regarding sexual need identification and satisfaction among older people living in nursing homes and possible barriers that could limit sexual need identification and satisfaction. Methods: We carried out a narrative review. The included studies responded to the research question, using the following key words: nursing homes, sexuality or sexual need, or sexual behavior, older people. Searched databases included PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Scopus. Results: After searching and screening we included 22 studies, finding three main topics: 1. identification of sexual needs by residents and healthcare personnel attitude and practice; 2. barriers and reasons hindering the identification of sexual needs; and 3. manifestation and satisfaction of sexual needs. Conclusions: The findings showed that nursing homes’ residents have different sexual needs, but there are many organizational, educational, and cultural barriers and negative attitudes of healthcare personnel. Supporting nursing home residents to express their sexual needs is a challenge for the healthcare professionals and managers of nursing homes. Full article

This paper examines how Marley Dias’ activism on Instagram promotes racial justice, Black feminist thought, and youth mobilization through digital storytelling, representation, and audience engagement. Using a mixed-methods analysis of 744 posts published between 2016 and 2025, the study combined critical thematic coding, temporal mapping, and engagement metrics to analyze the discursive and emotional strategies behind Dias’ activism. Five key themes were identified as central to her activist work: diversity in literature, lack girl empowerment, racial justice, Black representation, and educational advocacy. The findings reveal that Dias strategically tailors her messages to suit Instagram’s unique features, using carousels and videos to enhance visibility, foster intimacy, and provide depth in education. Posts that focused on identity, aesthetics, and empowerment garnered the highest levels of engagement, while posts that concentrated on structural issues received lower, yet still significant, interaction. The paper argues that Dias’ Instagram account serves as a dynamic platform for youth-led Black feminist resistance, where cultural production, civic education, and emotional impact converge. This case underscores the political potential of digital literacies and encourages a reconsideration of how youth-driven digital activism is reshaping contemporary public discourse, agency, and knowledge production in the social media age. Full article

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory, estrogen-dependent gynecological disease in which endometrial-like tissue grows in areas outside the uterus. This condition may significantly influence women’s life course and mental health. Personal, behavioral, social, and environmental factors play a crucial role in predicting these outcomes. The current study aimed to compare the Perceived Life Course Impact (PLCI) and mental health of women with Endometriosis to those without the disease, as well as to explore the factors associated with PLCI and mental health. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 543 Israeli women (270 with Endometriosis, 273 without). Participants completed a validated questionnaire assessing perceptions of life course impact in several life domains (intimacy and relationships, employment, education) and mental health. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with PLCI and mental health among participants. Results: Women with Endometriosis reported a significantly greater negative perceived impact on intimacy and relationships, employment, and education, with poorer mental health, as compared to the control group. Women with Endometriosis also experienced higher social negativity and lower social support. Multiple regression analyses indicated social negativity as a strong predictor of negative PLCI. Additionally, menstrual pain, social support, and healthcare accessibility were found to be significant predictors of both PLCI and mental health. Conclusions: Comprehensive care for women with Endometriosis requires a multidisciplinary approach, with interventions focused on improving healthcare accessibility, enhancing social support networks, and mitigating social negativity within interpersonal environments. Full article

Objectives: This study examined the association between three sexual motivations—rewarding, intimacy, and enhancement—and their relationship to sexual and relationship satisfaction. A novel conceptualization of sexual reward was introduced and tested. Methods: The sample included 675 individuals in steady intimate relationships (12+ months). Participants completed measures assessing sexual motives and satisfaction levels. A newly developed scale for sexual reward motivation was validated. Findings: The rewarding motive was present among many participants, with approximately 10% reporting frequent use. Rewarding was negatively associated with both relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction. It also showed a negative correlation with enhancement motivation and no significant correlation with intimacy motivation. Conclusions: While occasional sexual reward may not impact relationship dynamics, frequent use of this motive appears to undermine both sexual and relational well-being. The findings suggest that sexual reward is a distinct and measurable motivation with potential implications for couple dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Full article

This article deals with how love and hatred of ideas can influence, and often distort or suppress, critical thinking. Love and hate can serve adaptive intellectual functions, but in practice, they often manifest in maladaptive ways. The article reviews the role of critical thinking in adaptation, then discusses how love and hate can influence critical thinking. The article suggests that teaching critical thinking needs to take into account that real-world critical thinking often bears little resemblance to that shown in tests or in school. We need to teach critical thinking as it exists in the world, not in rarefied settings. Full article

A preservationist Christian sexual ethic affirms heterosexuality as the only normal and natural expression of wholeness in human intimacy, relationships, and lifestyle. However, revisionist critics would maintain that the central problem of the preservationist perspective is the perceived lack of a compelling verifier. A revisionist Christian ethic embraces homosexuality as an alternative form of wholeness in human relationships and lifestyle. Preservationist critics would maintain that the central problem of the revisionist perspective is the perceived lack of a compelling verifier. They would also identify an additional problem for the revisionist position, namely, the perceived problem of self-contradiction. It may seem to some that problems alleged for a particular side cannot be leveraged to the advantage of the opposing side in this debate. Moreover, even the external judgment that a problem exists for a perspective is disputed within that perspective. This may seem to lead to stalemate between the opposing perspectives. However, it may be that a verifier or vindicator exists for one of these perspectives that would commend that perspective as more acceptable than the other. A vindicator for a perspective need only to reinforce that perspective, while a verifier must be an empirically attested ground for the perspective. In this article, I will compare verifiers and vindicators on each side of the debate and inquire whether there is an ace to be found in any of these arenas. I find that a preservationist Christian sexual ethic speaks for itself when its vehicles of verification and vindication are addressed in dialogue with a revisionist perspective. My aim is to increase the possibility of moving the discussion forward in the debate over normative human sexuality. Full article

The research analyzed the cognitive styles, sexist attitudes and social competencies that hinder gender equality in secondary education students. It identified sexist attitudes, cognitive styles and social skills that hinder change towards gender equality; explored significant differences in sexist attitudes and cognitive strategies and social attitudes by age; studied the relationship between sexist attitudes and cognitive and social strategies that perpetuate gender inequality; and analyzed how age may predict the use of these strategies. A total of 1034 students aged 11 to 18 participated in a cross-sectional study. The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory for Adolescents and the Questionnaire of Attitudes and Cognitive Social Strategies were administered. The results indicate that young people exhibit moderate levels of cognitive and social strategies that hinder the change in sexist behaviors. At ages 12–14, the acceptance of ambivalent and benevolent attitudes such as paternalism and heterosexual intimacy increases. We found greater aggressiveness–stubbornness, apathy–withdrawal, impulsivity, and rigidity of thought at ages 15–17. Age explains a small proportion of the variance in sexist attitudes, cognitive styles, and social competencies that hinder gender equality. The study highlights the need for coeducational measures that ensure equal cognitive and socio-emotional development in women and men. Full article

Background/Objectives: To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of adolescent and young adult males who had testicular prosthesis surgery during their childhood, as well as their own and their parents’ inner perceptions and feelings. To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative study and one of few with an integrated approach on the QoL of pediatric testicular prosthesis recipients. Methods: Recipients and their parents were interviewed regarding their life with the testicular prosthesis. Major QoL domains (i.e., physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, sexuality) were assessed. Results: Although there were participants who viewed the outcomes with negativity, most expressed satisfaction. Daily routine returned to normal after a postoperative period with precautions, such as fear of damaging either the implant or the healthy testis. Prosthesis feeling was acceptable and normalized with time, while self-image and self-confidence were boosted by the presence of the prosthesis. All participants outlined the importance of privacy as being kept in the inner family circle. Some exhibited introverted behavior. Regarding sentimental and sexual intimacy, the prosthesis produced anxiety and concern both in experienced recipients and minors, which was moderated by a normal scrotal appearance. Conclusions: Testicular prosthesis surgery performed from childhood to adulthood may create profound and variable concerns, which may affect the recipients and their companions in the long term. Therefore, it should not be considered in a simplistic manner as a routine procedure and should be preceded by thorough conversation with experts. Full article

Background: Research has underscored that the attachment type could explain the association between sexual behavior and relational satisfaction. This study aimed to explore the relationship between attachment type, sexual function, and relationship characteristics of adult women. Methods: This cross-sectional study included an a priori calculated sample of 304 women, who completed the Female Sexual Function Index, the Relationship Assessment Scale, and the Experiences in Close Relationships—Revised Scale. Results: Women with anxious attachment types reported higher levels of sexual arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction compared to other types, suggesting that emotional insecurity may intensify sexual intimacy within relationships. Overall, relational satisfaction was positively associated with various aspects of sexual function, particularly arousal and orgasmic function. Specifically, anxious attachment was associated with higher levels of sexual arousal, orgasm, and overall satisfaction, emphasizing the impact of relational dynamics on sexual well-being. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the significant role of attachment patterns and relational satisfaction in shaping women’s sexual function and experiences. The results suggest that therapeutic interventions aiming at the improvement of women’s sexual health should consider both attachment type and relational satisfaction as these factors are integral to the quality of sexual experience. Full article

This study uses generative AI to investigate the influence of building façade geometry on human physiological and psychological health. Employing Christopher Alexander’s fifteen fundamental properties of living geometry and a set of ten emotional descriptors {beauty, calmness, coherence, comfort, empathy, intimacy, reassurance, relaxation, visual pleasure, well-being} in separate tests, ChatGPT 4.5 evaluates simple, contrasting window designs. AI analyses strongly and consistently prefer traditional window geometries, characterized by symmetrical arrangements and coherent visual structure, over fragmented or minimalist–modernist alternatives. These results suggest human cognitive–emotional responses to architectural forms are hardwired through evolution, privileging specific geometric patterns. Finally, ChatGPT o3 formulates ten detailed geometric rules for empathetic window design and composition. It then applies these criteria to select contemporary window typologies that generate the highest anxiety. The seven most anxiety-inducing designs are the most favored today worldwide. The findings challenge contemporary architectural preferences and standard window archetypes by emphasizing the significance of empathetic and health-promoting façade designs. Given the general suspicion among many readers of the frequently manipulative and unreliable use of AI, its use in this experiment is not to validate design decisions directly, which would put into question what the AI is trained with, but to prove a correlation between two established methodologies for evaluating a design. AI is used as an analytical tool to show that Alexander’s geometric rules (the guidelines proposed beforehand) closely match emotional reactions (the desirable outcomes observed afterward). This novel use of AI suggests integrating neurodesign principles into architectural education and practice to prioritize urban vitality through psychological well-being. Full article

As social robots become increasingly integrated into everyday life, understanding the factors that influence users’ long-term continuance intention is essential. This study investigates how various features of MOCCA, a social robot equipped with episodic memory, affect users’ continuance usage intention through perceived trust and parasocial interaction, within the framework of the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theory. A structural model incorporating key perceived features (intimacy, morality, dependency, and information privacy risk) was tested with survey data from 285 MOCCA users and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that intimacy and morality positively influence both trust and parasocial interaction, while information privacy risk exerts a negative effect. Dependency significantly reduces parasocial interaction but does not significantly impact trust. These findings highlight the importance of balancing human-like qualities, ethical responsibility, perceived autonomy, and privacy protection in social robot design to foster trust, enhance user engagement, and support long-term adoption. This study provides theoretical, managerial, and practical insights into the field of human–robot interaction (HRI) and contributes to the broader acceptance of social robots in everyday life. Full article