Social media have become important platforms for residents to engage with their neighborhood. This paper investigates two Facebook communities that focus in distinctly different ways on Amsterdam-Noord, a gentrifying neighborhood in Amsterdam. Dialogue on both Facebook communities is found to be thoroughly affective, but the kinds of emotions and the way such emotions are generated and shared differ. Through this analysis, this paper seeks to understand how “affective publics” emerge through a specific form of collaborative storytelling, characterized by tone, form as well as rhythm of online interaction. We show how the channeling of affective expression and attunement helps to build two dissimilar collaborative discourses of the neighborhood transformation. We propose the term online affective placemaking to study and articulate such processes. The term points to mediated feelings and urgency to engage, which bonds participants and impacts the social and political landscape within the neighborhood.
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In Amsterdam, the phenomenon of overcrowding is increasing, and tourism is one of the causes. Both the public debate and the municipal authorities are pointing to an increasing need for more expertise and knowledge regarding ways of achieving a healthy balance for various stakeholders. This article focuses on the stakeholder role of city residents and discusses their attitudes to tourists and tourism-related developments in their own neighbourhood and in the rest of the city. The term “attitude” can be divided into three components: feeling, behaviour and thinking. The results of this study are based on both quantitative and qualitative fieldwork (surveys and semi-structured interviews) and on desk research. It can be concluded that, for the most part, residents have a positive attitude to tourists and tourism. Differences in attitude are mostly determined by the city district where respondents live and by personal feelings and thinking. Follow-up research in the coming years will examine the complexity of the issue of overcrowding in more depth.
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BackgroundThe challenging combination of breastfeeding and work is one of the main reasons for early breastfeeding cessation. Although the availability of a lactation room (defined as a private space designated for milk expression or breastfeeding) is important in enabling the combination of breastfeeding and work, little is known about the effects of lactation room quality on mothers’ feelings and thoughts related to breastfeeding and work. We hypothesized that a high-quality lactation room (designed using the Theory of Supportive Design) would cause mothers to experience less stress, have more positive thoughts about milk expression at work, perceive more organizational support, and report more subjective well-being, than a low-quality lactation room.MethodsIn an online randomized controlled trial (Study 1), Dutch mothers (N = 267) were shown either a high-quality or a low-quality lactation room (using pictures and descriptions for the manipulation) and were then asked about their feelings and thoughts. In a subsequent field experiment (Study 2) we modified the lactations rooms in a large organization in Groningen, the Netherlands, to manipulate lactation room quality, and asked mothers (N = 61) who used either a high-quality or low-quality lactation room to fill out surveys to assess the dependent variables.ResultsThe online study showed that mothers exposed to the high-quality lactation room anticipated less stress, more positive cognitions about milk expression at work, more perceived organizational support, and more subjective well-being than mothers exposed to the low-quality lactation room (p < 0.05). Moreover, the effect of lactation room quality on perceived organizational support was especially pronounced for mothers who were higher in environmental sensitivity. The field experiment showed that use of the high-quality room led to less reported stress than use of the low-quality room (p < 0.05). We also found that mothers who were higher in environmental sensitivity perceived more control over milk expression at work and experienced more subjective well-being in the high-quality condition than in the low-quality condition (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe current studies show that not only the availability, but also the quality of lactation rooms is important in facilitating the combination of breastfeeding and work.
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This article focuses on the multiple feelings of belonging that refugee-background youngsters experience toward their country of origin (Syria)and their city of resettlement (Rotterdam). The conceptual framework of Antonsich is used to examine how personal and social dimensions shape their belonging. Based on interviews and photo-elicitation with 19 young people, this study shows that the feeling of belonging toward Syria is presented as a natural given, whereas the feeling of belonging toward Rotterdam developed over time, shaped by increasing familiarity and normalcy. Although exclusion is experienced incidentally, this does not greatly hinder youngsters’ sense of belonging toward Rotterdam.
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Introduction: Hardly any research exists on the relationship between substance use and sexual behaviors in patients with a substance use disorder. This study aimed to examine this relation by looking into perceived positive effects on sexual behavior, perceived negative effects and risky sexual behavior due to substance use in patient groups of users of alcohol, stimulants, sedatives and Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB). In addition, the current study aimed to address the question whether sexual behavior (e.g. number of sexual partners, sexualactivity) differs between these patient groups.Method: A total of 180 patients with a substance use disorder (i.e. alcohol, amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, GHB and opiates) participated. A self-report questionnaire was administered with questions on substance use,sexual behaviors (e.g. sexual activity, masturbation, use of pornography) and statements about the perceived changes in sexual functioning and behavior under influence of the primary substance of abuse.Results: All four groups reported changes in sexual thoughts, feelings and behavior due to the use of their primary substance. More than half of the patients reported enhancements in sexual domains (i.e. sexual pleasure,sexual arousal, sexual behavior), but also decrements or risky behaviors and about a quarter stated that their sexual thoughts, feelings and behaviors were often associated with the use of their primary substance of abuse.Patients with a GHB use disorder reported the strongest relation between drug use and sexual behavior. Users of HB not only reported more enhancement in several sexual domains, but also less decline in sexual domains compared to the other patient groups and more risky behavior or more sexual activity than some of the other groups of patients.Conclusions: The results underline the importance of addressing the relationship between substance use and sexual behavior in treatment programs, as patients may be hesitant to stop their use of substances when they experience many positive effects in their sexual behavior. Future research directions are suggested.
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Dynamic body feedback is used in dance movement therapy (DMT), with the aim to facilitate emotional expression and a change of emotional state through movement and dance for individuals with psychosocial or psychiatric complaints. It has been demonstrated that moving in a specific way can evoke and regulate related emotions. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of executing a unique set of kinetic movement elements on an individual mover’s experience of happiness. A specific sequence consisting of movement elements that recent studies have related to the feeling of happiness was created and used in a series of conditions. To achieve a more realistic reflection of DMT practice, the study incorporated the interpersonal dimension between the dance movement therapist (DMTh) and the client, and the impact of this interbodily feedback on the emotional state of the client. This quantitative study was conducted in a within-subject design. Five male and 20 female participants (mean age = 20.72) participated in three conditions: a solo executed movement sequence, a movement sequence executed with a DMTh who attuned and mirrored the movements, and a solo executed movement sequence not associated with feelings of happiness. Participants were only informed about the movements and not the feelings that may be provoked by these movements. The effects on individuals were measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and visual analog scales. Results showed that a specific movement sequence based on movement elements associated with happiness executed with a DMTh can significantly enhance the corresponding affective state. An additional finding of this study indicated that facilitating expressed emotion through movement elements that are not associated with happiness can enhance feelings such as empowerment, pride, and determination, which are experienced as part of positive affect. The results show the impact of specific fullbody movement elements on the emotional state and the support outcome of DMT on emotion regulation.
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“Early warning signs of aggression” refers to recurring changes in behaviors, thoughts, perceptions, and feelings of the patient that are considered to be precursors of aggressive behavior. The early recognition of these signs offers possibilities for early intervention and prevention of aggressive behaviors in forensic patients. The Forensic Early warning Signs of Aggression Inventory (FESAI) was developed to assist nurses and patients in identifying and monitoring these early warning signs of aggression.
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Guest post by Lieke Wissink. Lieke is an anthropologist and philosopher who works at the Youth and Society knowledge center, University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam. She engages in an action-research project with undocumented youths at a day shelter, and carries-out participant observation, group workshops and interviews with residents. This blogpost reflects on feelings of empowerment and precarity as expressed by the shelter members during the Covid-19 pandemic. This post is part of our new themed series on border control and Covid-19.
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PURPOSE: This study investigates self-injury fromthe perspective of patients with anorexia nervosa. DESIGN AND METHODS: A phenomenological design was used. Twelve patients participated. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide. FINDINGS: Participants display self-injurious behavior predominantly in situations when they are forced to eat. They are terrified of gaining weight and use selfinjurious behavior to copewith their anxiety. Self-injury is envisioned as a technique to regain control of their own eating pattern without bothering anyone. They feel shame for not controlling their emotions more constructively. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare professionals should systematically observe signals and explore less harmful strategies that help to regulate overwhelming feelings
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I shall use this editorial to express my mixed feelings about the COVID-19 pandemic that affected our lives strongly, personally and professionally, in very different ways for over two years. Going back to our schools, colleges and universities, without even wearing facemasks, sometimes feel a bit unfamiliar. This unfamiliarity also touches upon the way we think and act in our daily work. We are virtually standing at a crossroads: are we returning to our previous routines or moving ahead by incorporating our new pandemic-related experiences into our routines?
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