Background: The care of clients with complex psychosocial problems involves diverse frontline professionals such as general practitioners, psychiatric nurses, police officers, social support... Show moreBackground: The care of clients with complex psychosocial problems involves diverse frontline professionals such as general practitioners, psychiatric nurses, police officers, social support consultants and debt counselors. As these professionals have different professional backgrounds and work in different organizations, their health conceptions, or beliefs about what constitutes health and how this should be pursued, may also differ. Having an understanding of various frontline professionals' health conceptions is relevant, as these may affect interprofessional collaboration in their work with clients with psychosocial problems. Objective: To understand various frontline professionals' health conceptions. Design: Inductive qualitative approach. Setting: The Hague, the Netherlands. Participants: Various frontline professionals from social welfare, general healthcare and mental healthcare, working with clients with complex psychosocial problems. Methods: Between September 2020 and April 2021, 23 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with frontline professionals in social welfare, general healthcare and mental healthcare. Based on these interviews, this paper analyzes frontline professionals' health conceptions. After transcription, all interviews were imported into ATLAS.ti for analysis. An iterative process of thematic analysis was used to identify health conception dimensions. Results: The paper found that frontline professionals' health conceptions differ in three main aspects: 1) health definitions, 2) alignment with clients and 3) contextualization of clients' health. Conclusions: The main implication of this research is that this inductive analysis of health conceptions provides a first building block in theorizing frontline professionals' health promotion practices. Tweetable abstract: Knowing about professional's health conceptions gives insight into how health is understood and how good health can best be achieved, which is important in caring for vulnerable clients. Show less
Popular media and politicians have often blamed the high public debt of some EU countries on cultural differences. These claims are most apparent in the discourse contrasting ostensibly prudent... Show morePopular media and politicians have often blamed the high public debt of some EU countries on cultural differences. These claims are most apparent in the discourse contrasting ostensibly prudent Northern Europeans with spendthrift Southern Europeans. Despite the prominence of these and similar narratives and evidence that culture plays a nontrivial role in other economic outcomes, there is no systematic evidence that culture influences attitudes towards sovereign debt in the EU. We provide the first empirical test of this claim using over 233,000 responses to a Eurobarometer question about the salience of national debt. Our analysis reveals that national and sub-national differences explain very little of the variance in debt preferences. Further, the differences that do emerge do not fit existing cultural narratives. Additional analysis reveals that established measures of national culture or religious observance, at the national and regional levels, do not correlate with debt attitudes as cultural arguments would predict. Show less
Three preregistered experiments examined to what extent information about an epidemic situation provided by experts and information about anti-infection policies promoted by governments/media... Show moreThree preregistered experiments examined to what extent information about an epidemic situation provided by experts and information about anti-infection policies promoted by governments/media influenced anti-infection behaviors. The above effects were examined among populations from different countries (in Experiments 2 and 3) and across self-construals (in Experiment 3). In three experiments, participants (N =706) were presented with a scenario where experts provided (or did not provide) information about an epidemic situation and governments/media promoted (or did not promote) information about anti-infection policies. After that, participants indicated their willingness to adopt anti-infection behaviors. Results across three experiments showed that both types of information independently increased participants’ anti-infection behaviors. In Experiments 2 and 3, we further found that the epidemic information had a larger impact on inducing anti-infection behaviors than the policy information, which was robust and consistent across countries and self-construals. Findings were discussed under the framework of social influence and in terms of practical implications for pandemic situations like the COVID-19. Show less
Nishimura, M.; Harrison Dening, K.; Sampson, E.L.; Iglesias de Oliveira Vidal, E.; Correia de Abreu, W.; Kaasalainen, S.; ... ; Steen, J.T. van der 2022
The current study uses data from The BBC Loneliness Experiment to explore the social stigma of loneliness and how it varies by gender, age, and cultural individualism. We examined stigmatizing... Show moreThe current study uses data from The BBC Loneliness Experiment to explore the social stigma of loneliness and how it varies by gender, age, and cultural individualism. We examined stigmatizing judgements of people who are lonely (impressions of those who feel lonely and attributions for loneliness), perceived stigma in the community, and self-stigma (shame for being lonely and inclination to conceal loneliness), while controlling for participants’ own feelings of loneliness. The scores on most measures fell near the mid-point of the scales, but stigmatizing perceptions depended on the measure of stigmatization that was used and on age, gender, and country-level individualism. Multi-level analyses revealed that men had more stigmatizing perceptions, more perceived community stigma, but less self-stigma than women; young people had higher scores than older people on all indicators except for internal vs external attributions; and people living in collectivist countries perceived loneliness as more controllable and perceived more stigma in the community than people living in individualistic countries. Finally, young men living in individualistic countries made the most internal (vs. external) attributions for loneliness. We discuss the implications of these findings for understandings of loneliness stigma and interventions to address loneliness. Show less
The first aim of this dissertation was to examine predictors of (change in) couple satisfaction during the transition to parenthood. We found that couple satisfaction on average decreased from... Show moreThe first aim of this dissertation was to examine predictors of (change in) couple satisfaction during the transition to parenthood. We found that couple satisfaction on average decreased from pregnancy until 4 months postpartum. The decrease in couple satisfaction in first time parents was found in both mothers and fathers and in multiple countries, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States (Chapter 2), and also in China from 4 until 14 months postpartum (Chapter 4). The decrease was stronger for parents who had more postpartum mental health problems (Chapter 2). In Chapter 3 we examined the association between couple satisfaction, mental health problems, and parental sensitivity from pregnancy until 24 months postpartum. We found additional evidence for the interrelatedness of couple satisfaction and mental health problems. Specifically, couple satisfaction predicted later mental health problems for both mothers and fathers. We found no associations between mental health problems and parental sensitivity, and little evidence for the association between couple satisfaction and parental sensitivity (the latter only for mothers).The second aim was to examine attitudes about child maltreatment across caregivers and countries. We found that on average Chinese and Dutch mothers, fathers, and teachers did not differ in their ideas about the rank order of harmfulness of behaviors commonly labeled as child maltreatment. In addition, for both countries and for the three groups we found higher thresholds for labeling the behaviors as maltreatment and the perceived need for intervention by a professional than for the need for intervention by a non-professional. In both countries and across the three groups physical abuse was labeled as the most harmful form of child maltreatment and emotional neglect as the least harmful form. However, Chinese participants had higher thresholds than Dutch participants with regard to the need for interventionand labeling the behaviors as maltreatment. Show less
This book starts with Vansina, who holds that old cultural traditions in Africa have been destroyed, but that new ones are emerging. With Prah, the study argues that a key role is played by... Show moreThis book starts with Vansina, who holds that old cultural traditions in Africa have been destroyed, but that new ones are emerging. With Prah, the study argues that a key role is played by education, which has to be based on African languages and values. Using a new quantitative comparative analysis, the study shows that maintaining former colonial languages as medium of instruction will become impossible to sustain. Over the next decade, some African countries will have to transition to African languages. The issue of language choice has vexed researchers and policymakers. The study shows how all over the world, designed languages serve speakers of several discerned languages. This solution could also be used in Africa, as demonstrated through six brief case studies. African languages in education will bolster the new, decolonised cultural traditions already taking shape on the continent. Show less
Collective identity can be altered by attacking culture’s tangible components (a temple) which are often a manifestation of or a support to their intangible (spiritual practice). That... Show moreCollective identity can be altered by attacking culture’s tangible components (a temple) which are often a manifestation of or a support to their intangible (spiritual practice). That identity can also be altered by attacking culture’s intangible in isolation (prohibition of spiritual practice). The research determines the extent to which international adjudicatory mechanisms have considered the causes, means and consequences of intentionally attacking culture’s tangible and intangible components. The research then brings their separate practice together. Based on treaty law, culture will be placed in a legal mould. Culture can be anthropical or natural, movable or immovable, secular or religious, tangible or intangible, regardless of terminology (cultural property, cultural heritage, intangible or tangible cultural heritage). Culture will then be placed in a judicial mould, in order to consider how natural and legal persons can invoke cultural damage in judicial proceedings. Culture is a legacy-oriented triptych made of local, national and international panels. While each panel makes sense in isolation, they are best understood when viewed together. State responsibility and individual criminal responsibility-based jurisdictions have accepted that attacking culture may be both tangible-centred and heritage-centred in terms of typology of damage. They have further recognised that the victims of such attacks can be natural persons as members of the collective or the collective as the sum of natural persons. But the victims can also be legal persons which may participate in judicial proceedings and seek reparations for harm sustained as a result of damage inflicted to their property (a museum’s building as well as its artefacts). Show less
This study aims to characterise teachers’ integrated content-language learning pedagogies teaching the skills-focused subject Global Perspectives (GP) in Dutch bilingual upper-secondary-schools.... Show moreThis study aims to characterise teachers’ integrated content-language learning pedagogies teaching the skills-focused subject Global Perspectives (GP) in Dutch bilingual upper-secondary-schools. Eleven teachers from seven bilingual schools across the Netherlands participated in the study in the school-year 2016-2017. To obtain insight into teachers’ pedagogies, semi-structured interviews and observations of GP lessons were used. Dalton Puffer’s Cognitive Discourse Functions (CDF) construct [(2013). A construct of cognitive discourse functions for conceptualizing content-language integration in CLIL and multilingual education. European Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1(2), 216–253. https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2013-0011], in combination with a focus on subject-specific Culture, was used as a heuristic to analyse the integrated content-language pedagogies of teachers. Main findings include that the participating schools had three distinct Intended Curriculum foci and, within these, five different types of integrated content-language learning pedagogies were identified. Main implications discussed are that focusing on subject-specific culture and using the CDF Construct is a useful heuristic to allow analysis of teachers’ integrated content-language pedagogies, and that it may also provide a useful framework for both pre- and in-service teachers in CLIL contexts to emphasise the integrated nature of CLIL teaching. Show less
To evaluate and improve quality of colorectal cancer surgery clinical audit systems were introduced in several countries. One of the goals of a clinical audit is learning from ‘best practice’. The... Show moreTo evaluate and improve quality of colorectal cancer surgery clinical audit systems were introduced in several countries. One of the goals of a clinical audit is learning from ‘best practice’. The aim of this thesis was to learn about ‘best practice’ in colorectal cancer surgery. This was done by first identifying best performing hospitals and then investigate which structural, procedural and contextual factors are correlated with best performance in these hospitals.This thesis shows that the concept of best performance and ‘best practice’ may be too simplistic in everyday practice. It was not possible to reliably define a best performing (group of) hospitals on a combination of outcomes. However, specific outcomes could be helpful to identify starting points for improvement. Furthermore, it was not possible to identify a combination of structural or process measures necessary for good performance. To reach good outcomes, specialization and dedication of the ward and the team seem to be important. To reach best performance, ‘best practice’ seems to be: a specialized team with the right attitude and culture, effective teamwork and dedication to continuous improvement supported by continuous learning from reliable national and hospital specific data. Show less
This thesis examined the extent to which relationships between emotional experiences and aggressive behaviours in adolescents are affected by culture. While existing studies often compare... Show moreThis thesis examined the extent to which relationships between emotional experiences and aggressive behaviours in adolescents are affected by culture. While existing studies often compare individuals from different countries to study cultural influences, this thesis also took a between-country approach by comparing Dutch and Malaysian adolescents; groups that reflect individualistic and collectivistic cultures, respectively. Also, the effect of individualistic and collectivistic values at an individual level was examined. First, the outcomes show that many relationships were culturally universal. Regardless of country or cultural orientation, adolescents who had more problems with anger control tended to be more aggressive; and those who experienced intense anger, fear and shame were more often bullied. Also, guilt was related to less aggressive behaviours in both Malaysian and Dutch samples. Yet, this thesis also revealed country/cultural specific relationships. Whereas shame was related to more aggression in Dutch adolescents, the opposite was true for Malaysian adolescents.Remarkably, this thesis found that the traditional classification between individualistic Western countries and collectivistic Eastern countries was not fully supported when cultural values were assessed at individual levels. For example, while higher levels of shame were related to less aggressive behaviours in individualistic-oriented adolescents, the opposite was true for collectivistic-oriented adolescents. Show less
Munckhof, E.H.A. van den; Sitter, R.L. van; Boers, K.E.; Lamont, R.F.; Witt, R. te; Cessie, S. le; ... ; Leverstein-van Hall, M.A. 2019
Multicellular giant algae Chara species have been widely used in physiological studies for decades. This study tries to link the physiological phenomena associated to the role of the plant hormone... Show moreMulticellular giant algae Chara species have been widely used in physiological studies for decades. This study tries to link the physiological phenomena associated to the role of the plant hormone auxin to molecular mechanisms, impelling a more advanced and comprehensive usage of Chara as a model system. Show less
Biologists and social scientists have long tried to understand why some societies have more fluid and open interpersonal relationships and how those differences influence culture. This study... Show moreBiologists and social scientists have long tried to understand why some societies have more fluid and open interpersonal relationships and how those differences influence culture. This study measures relational mobility, a socioecological variable quantifying voluntary (high relational mobility) vs. fixed (low relational mobility) interpersonal relationships. We measure relational mobility in 39 societies and test whether it predicts social behavior. People in societies with higher relational mobility report more proactive interpersonal behaviors (e.g., self-disclosure and social support) and psychological tendencies that help them build and retain relationships (e.g., general trust, intimacy, self-esteem). Finally, we explore ecological factors that could explain relational mobility differences across societies. Relational mobility was lower in societies that practiced settled, interdependent subsistence styles, such as rice farming, and in societies that had stronger ecological and historical threats. Show less
This dissertation reports on how Chinese and Dutch non-native teachers of English as a foreign language in secondary education in different countries perceive themselves as teachers in relation to... Show moreThis dissertation reports on how Chinese and Dutch non-native teachers of English as a foreign language in secondary education in different countries perceive themselves as teachers in relation to cultures associated with the English language. In different cultural contexts, teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL teachers) can have diverse ideas about language-and-culture teaching, and they may have different notions of themselves as teachers in relation to cultures associated with the English language. How EFL Teachers see themselves and perceive their roles in relation to these cultures is referred to in the literature as ‘teachers’ intercultural identities’. We explored the characteristics of EFL teachers’ intercultural identity perceptions, and the relationship between EFL teachers’ cultural values and their intercultural identities. We conducted a literature review and a two-phase empirical study including individual interviews and a questionnaire survey among 268 Chinese and Dutch secondary school teachers of English. We found significant differences between the intercultural identity perceptions of Chinese and Dutch non-native EFL teachers. The results also provide insight into the connection between the teachers' cultural values and their intercultural identity perceptions. The findings are relevant for pedagogies and training in foreign language teaching. Show less
The study of non-Western cultures often relies on the knowledge of those cultures’ religions. This certainly applies to Javanese Studies, where “Javanese Islam” is one of its constitutive concepts.... Show moreThe study of non-Western cultures often relies on the knowledge of those cultures’ religions. This certainly applies to Javanese Studies, where “Javanese Islam” is one of its constitutive concepts. However, this notion is plagued by theoretical problems, suggesting it misrepresents the Javanese religious condition. Through a conceptual genealogy this research traces the origin of “Javanese Islam”. Its conceptualisation is shown to be part of a Western project of making sense of Javanese culture. However, the origin of the twin-concepts “Javanese Islam” and “Javanism” does not lie in the West’s ambitions for colonial dominance. Rather, they are pieces of Christian theology. The West’s preoccupation with religion compelled it to recognise certain Javanese traditions as elements of religion. It thus came to see ngelmu as the core beliefs and slametan as the central ritual of a Javanese religion. This representation however is not supported by empirical evidence or theoretical proof. If, as this research suggests, syncretist Javanese Islam is actually an experiential entity in the experiential world of the West, new research questions arise. Is there an alternative approach to gain insight into Java’s traditions? Show less
