Elke onderwijsvolgende hoort in 2030 gelijke kansen te hebben in het onderwijs, althans dat is afgesproken in het duurzame ontwikkelingsdoel 4. Toch heeft een onverwachte factor, de COVID19...Show moreElke onderwijsvolgende hoort in 2030 gelijke kansen te hebben in het onderwijs, althans dat is afgesproken in het duurzame ontwikkelingsdoel 4. Toch heeft een onverwachte factor, de COVID19 pandemie, de kansenongelijkheid in 2020 in het onderwijs juist verhoogd. In dit onderzoek is onderzocht in welke mate framing invloed heeft gehad op geadviseerde en genomen maatregelen omtrent kansenongelijkheid in het onderwijs tijdens de COVID-19 pandemie in België en Nederland. Het doel van dit kwalitatieve onderzoek is om de gebruikte frames binnen toonaangevende rapportages te identificeren en de mate van invloed op maatregelen om kansenongelijkheid in het onderwijs tegen te gaan te beschrijven en verklaren. Voor deze meervoudige casestudy zijn twee rapportages gebruikt: de Staat van het Onderwijs 2021 en de Onderwijsspiegel 2021. Deze rapportages zijn door middel van een inductieve, thematische framing analyse geanalyseerd. Daarbij zijn de betrokken stakeholders, gerelateerde maatregelen en tactieken om verantwoording te verleggen geïdentificeerd binnen de framebundels. Door middel van de framing analyse zijn zes framebundels geïdentificeerd voor zowel België als Nederland: 1) ‘onafwendbaar noodlot’, 2) ‘sociale ongelijkheid’, 3) ‘never waste a good crisis’, 4) ‘executieve functies’, 5) ‘kansengelijkheid’ en 6) ‘profiteur’. De stakeholdergroepen onderwijsinstellingen (6 BE; 6 NL) en onderwijsvolgenden (6 BE; 6 NL) zijn bij de framing van kansenongelijkheid in het onderwijs tijdens de COVID-19 pandemie in België en Nederland het meest betrokken geweest. De geïdentificeerde stakeholdergroepen zijn geclassificeerd op basis van de kenmerken macht, legitimiteit en urgentie. Hieruit bleken hoog saillante stakeholders (8) en laag saillante stakeholders (8) het meest betrokken te zijn geweest bij de framing van kansenongelijkheid in het onderwijs tijdens de COVID-19 pandemie in België. In Nederland waren laag saillante stakeholders (9) het meest betrokken bij de framing van kansenongelijkheid in het onderwijs tijdens de COVID-19 pandemie. In België blijken tactieken om verantwoording te verleggen 5 keer gebruikt te worden, waar in Nederland 15 keer gebruik wordt gemaakt van tactieken om verantwoording te verleggen. In 18 gevallen (5 BE; 13 NL) betreffen het organisaties die de verantwoording verleggen. Dat organisaties oververtegenwoordigd zijn in het gebruik van tactieken om verantwoording te verleggen kan worden verklaard vanuit de achtergrond waarom organisaties verantwoording verleggen. Organisaties kunnen verantwoording verleggen om geen vertrouwen van de samenleving in de organisatie te verliezen, omdat het verliezen van vertrouwen tot negatieve gevolgen leidt voor de duurzaamheid van de organisatie. De verschillen tussen België en Nederland kunnen worden verklaard vanuit de mate waarin organisaties een afrekencultuur ervaren, waarbij organisaties in Nederland in een hogere mate een afrekencultuur ervaren dan organisaties in België, waardoor organisaties in Nederland eerder geneigd zijn om verantwoording te verleggen. In de twee gevallen in Nederland heeft de stakeholdergroep ouders gebruik hebben gemaakt van tactieken om verantwoording te verleggen. Als beleidsmakers in het bieden van perspectief voor het oplossen van de onderwijsachterstanden door de COVID-19 pandemie tekort zijn geschoten, hebben ouders geen zicht op de oplossing voor het probleem, wat kan verklaren waarom de ouders in kwestie particulier aanvullend onderwijs inkopen en de verantwoording verplaatsen. Wanneer België en Nederland vergeleken worden met betrekking tot de getroffen maatregelen bij de framebundels blijkt dat niet bij elke framebundel door beide landen maatregelen zijn getroffen. Dit kan verklaard worden vanuit de aan- of afwezigheid van hoog saillante stakeholders binnen de betreffende framebundels. Wanneer hoog saillante stakeholder betrokken waren in een framebundel, zijn in België wel maatregelen getroffen en anders niet. Bij Nederland worden wanneer hoog saillante stakeholders betrokken zijn andersoortige maatregelen genomen. Wanneer geen hoog saillante stakeholders betrokken zijn, dan worden uitsluitend financiële middelen beschikbaar gesteld, maar wanneer hoog saillante stakeholders wel betrokken zijn dan worden ook maatregelen zoals wetswijzigingen genomen. Dit wijst erop dat de betrokkenheid van hoog saillante stakeholders bij de framing van kansenongelijkheid in het onderwijs tijdens de COVID-19 pandemie op een andere wijze invloed heeft op de maatregelen in België en Nederland.Show less
Dit onderzoek richt zich op de vraag: “Wat is het effect van COVID-19 en de maatregelen op de mentale gezondheid van jongvolwassenen van 15 tot 30 jaar in Nederland?’’ Het onderzoek gebruikt...Show moreDit onderzoek richt zich op de vraag: “Wat is het effect van COVID-19 en de maatregelen op de mentale gezondheid van jongvolwassenen van 15 tot 30 jaar in Nederland?’’ Het onderzoek gebruikt hiervoor LISS-Panel data van 2010 tot en met 2020. Met behulp van Stata wordt een Difference-in-Differences analyse uitgevoerd tussen de treatmentgroep (15 tot 30 jaar) en de controlegroep (30 tot 45 jaar) in twee tijdsperiodes (voor en na COVID-19). Het concept mentale gezondheid wordt gemeten door uiteenlopende factoren die gezamenlijk iets kunnen zeggen over de mentale gezondheid: de ervaring van eigen gezondheid, vijf vragen over de stemming, sociale factoren, medicatiegebruik of psychische hulp. De resultaten laten zien dat COVID-19 de mentale gezondheid van de treatmentgroep op sommige onderdelen significant (p=<0,05) beïnvloedt. Er is een significant effect van COVID-19 op de mate waarin jongvolwassenen zich vaker in de put en neerslachtig en somber voelden wanneer er gecontroleerd wordt voor de volgende controlevariabelen: samenwonen met een partner, het zijn van een vrouw, het zijn van een student of scholier en ten slotte de afwezigheid van langdurige ziekten of aandoeningen. Zowel voor als na controle met controlevariabelen zijn jongvolwassenen minder gelukkig door COVID-19. De significante variabelen zijn in staat om de variatie binnen de uitkomsten te verklaren voor 5,2% voor beide variabelen in de put, somber en neerslachtig voelen, 0,36% voor geluk in het model zonder controlevariabelen en 4,8% voor geluk in het model met controlevariabelen. Op basis van bovenstaande resultaten kan de nulhypothese verworpen worden en de alternatieve hypothese worden aangenomen: COVID-19 leidt in enkele gevallen tot een significant lager welbevinden van de jongeren en jongvolwassen. Het zijn van vrouw, student, de aanwezigheid van ziekte en aandoeningen en de afwezigheid van een partner zijn hierbij significante risicofactoren. Enkel bij het ervaren van geluk is het geslacht geen significante bijdrage. Aanbevelingen zijn om sportmogelijkheden te openen, open te houden tijdens een eventuele toekomstige lockdown en sportmogelijkheden uit te breiden tot een oudere leeftijdsgroep. Daarnaast is het advies om scholen, MBO’s, hogescholen en universiteiten te openen en ook tijdens een eventuele toekomstige lockdown open te houden. Ten slotte is de aanbeveling om op te schalen binnen de geestelijke gezondheidszorg om aan de groeiende vraag te voldoen. Vervolgonderzoek moet meer data verzamelen over de COVID19 periode en vaker vergelijkingen maken over tijd, zoals met Difference-in-Differences onderzoeken. Ten slotte is het vereist om de jongeren en jongvolwassenen beter te betrekken bij verder onderzoek en beleid.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
While the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, travels fiercely and fast throughout the world, many countries have also seen the growth of other supposedly viral phenomena such as conspiracy...Show moreWhile the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, travels fiercely and fast throughout the world, many countries have also seen the growth of other supposedly viral phenomena such as conspiracy theories and fake news. High-speed information sharing between news media providers and users, as well as cross-platform information cascades, have been made possible by social media platforms and digital technology. As a result, conspiracy theories and false information swiftly spread. For this thesis, a meta-analysis will be performed on several studies including new data and experiments related to the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 crisis is a very impactful crisis. It affects every individual in a society. The theory states that there is a relationship between conspiracy theories and political violence. Sitting at home and working can make people experience more stress, anxiety and insecurity, which is detrimental to their mental and physical well-being. The possible consequences can in the worst-case result in physical violence. These are relevant topics, because they can be anticipated in the event of possible new waves or new crisis. This research will show why it is important to pay extra attention during the corona crisis when it comes to conspiracy theories and how they spread on social media. In this way, the results of this research can be used to see the connection better and faster between social media, conspiracy theories and violence.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges (LUC) (BA/BSc)
closed access
Background: Over half of the population of the Netherlands has a chronic health condition. A large proportion of the care of people with chronic conditions is done by themselves and requires...Show moreBackground: Over half of the population of the Netherlands has a chronic health condition. A large proportion of the care of people with chronic conditions is done by themselves and requires continuous adaptation to the context of that moment. The “Intelligent lockdown” in the Netherlands has changed this context throughout its various phases. Objectives: There is little knowledge on what self-care looks like in the lives of people with chronic health conditions and how a crisis situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic influences self-care routines. The objective was to examine how the COVID-19 lockdown has affected the self-care behaviour and routines of people living with a chronic condition. Methods: Qualitative researched methods were used to gather the stories and experiences of participants with chronic health conditions. A seven-day, daily activity logbook was used to list the self-care behaviours of the day. This was then used to contrast and compare self-care activities to before the COVID-19 lockdown and during the various phases of the lockdown. The results of the logbooks were then used to conduct interviews with the participants, with the aim of verifying and clarifying the logbook entries. Results: The sample was made up of 10 participants with an age range of 20-67, seven of whom identified as female and three as male. People with physical as well as mental chronic health conditions were included. The limiting of space due to the lockdown caused clashes and overlaps of spaces with different functions. This led to the disruption of self-care routines concerning movement, socialisation, and food. The theme of responsibility towards and dependency on family and friends also emerged. The COVID-19 measures took away many of the healthy coping mechanisms those with mental health conditions relied on. Opportunities for exercise were limited by the closing of sporting facilities and the weather, with home-workout being complicated by lack of structure and social motivation. The participants indicated that they believed their experience with continuous adaptation had helped them adapt to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: This study showed that self-care behaviours and routines are interconnected. Most self-care behaviours were aimed at maintaining mental health, though those with mental health conditions experienced an extra challenge because their usual coping mechanisms were disrupted. Pandemic response policies must be examined for differential impacts on multiple groups, and ways to mitigate potential negative impacts.Show less
Sports mega-events have been used in Japan's nation-branding efforts for many decades. The Tokyo 1964 Olympics in particular were instrumental in aiding Japan's postwar recovery, serving as a...Show moreSports mega-events have been used in Japan's nation-branding efforts for many decades. The Tokyo 1964 Olympics in particular were instrumental in aiding Japan's postwar recovery, serving as a symbol of the economic and technical progress that they had made to the outside world and the Japanese population. 57 years after the fact Japan is set to host the Olympics once again, and brandings such as that of the ''recovery games'' have been used by the organizers to draw a parallel between the 2 games. Using analysis based on a combination of media accounts, promotion materials, public statements by the organizers and public opinion polls, this thesis will show why these parallels are problematic, as well as showing why the ''recovery games'' rhetoric is flawed within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Show less
The current COVID-19 pandemic has grown to be one of the worst pandemics ever faced. In order to fight this virus, measures have been adopted that restrict personal freedom. It is therefore of...Show moreThe current COVID-19 pandemic has grown to be one of the worst pandemics ever faced. In order to fight this virus, measures have been adopted that restrict personal freedom. It is therefore of great importance to acknowledge the human rights costs of all the measures imposed to tackle COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to examine to what extent human rights were violated, with specific attention to freedom from discrimination, freedom of information, freedom of movement and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention during the current pandemic. To fulfill the aim, a qualitative content analysis was applied, which analyzed five speeches by Western countries and five speeches by Asian countries. Differences and similarities were examined and subsequently the impact on human rights was analyzed. Six main themes emerged: mitigation, collaborative behavior, support, speech, treatment and justification. The key findings of this study are that human rights were evidently violated during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, none of the analyzed speeches attempts to justify its measures in relation with human rights. Additionally, only a few speeches openly state from where their information originates. This is problematic and simultaneously open for improvement.Show less
In December 2019, the first case of the SARS-Cov-2 virus was identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China (Lavazza & Farina, 2021). In the next few months, the virus spread rapidly across Asia,...Show moreIn December 2019, the first case of the SARS-Cov-2 virus was identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China (Lavazza & Farina, 2021). In the next few months, the virus spread rapidly across Asia, Europe and North America, many countries responding with far reaching COVID-19 measures: closing shops, travel bans and lockdowns (Taylor, 2021). In order to avoid social unrest and to create trust among the people, many governments appealed to experts to advise and justify unpopular and strict COVID-19 measures such as quarantine and lockdowns (Lavazza & Farina, 2020). In The Netherlands, the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) took on this role, by advising the Dutch government, as part of the RIVM, in case of a cross-regional/national outbreak of an infectious disease, like the COVID-19 virus (RIVM, 2021). In this thesis, the author analyses twelve press conferences by Dutch government officials during the first COVID-19 wave in the Netherlands. The aim of this research is to demonstrate how the Dutch cabinet used the OMT to gain legitimacy for the build up and reduction of COVID-19 measures. A Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is used to analyse linguistic aspects and identify discourses and themes wherein the Dutch government gains public support and justifies different actions taken (Van Dijk, 1993). This research will specifically compare how the role of OMT is portrayed differently between the build up and reduction of COVID-19 measures. The author hypothesized that the OMT is more often and strongly referred to in the build up of measures compared to the reduction of measures. This study sheds light on the broader topic of experts in the COVID-19 crisis, crisis communication and the broader tension between the role of experts and creating legitimacy in decision making.Show less
Governments worldwide are faced with unique challenges during the current COVID-19 pandemic. To limit the threats that this virus causes to public safety, governments need to ensure that their...Show moreGovernments worldwide are faced with unique challenges during the current COVID-19 pandemic. To limit the threats that this virus causes to public safety, governments need to ensure that their citizens follow the measures set out by them. Previous research has shown that information that contains specific types of messages can have an influence on the extent to which people are willing to adhere to government measures. The current study builds on these strategies and theories and investigates the extent to which the communication of either fear or hope has an influence on (1) people’s understanding of COVID-19 related information and (2) people’s willingness to adhere to government measures. In a survey experiment participants read a scenario in which the government issued a statement regarding the measures that they had put in place previously. Results show that the communication of hope increases people’s understanding of COVID-19 related information but does not have an effect on people’s willingness to adhere to government measures. These findings suggest that when governments want to increase people’s understanding of the pandemic situation during future pandemics they need to communicate hopeful messages, but these findings also suggests that more research needs to be done into ways in which actual willingness to adhere to government measures can be increased.Show less
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has put many political leaders in the spotlight. While almost all countries struggled to mitigate the virus, predominantly the well-capable democratic countries...Show moreBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has put many political leaders in the spotlight. While almost all countries struggled to mitigate the virus, predominantly the well-capable democratic countries acted indecisively and were reluctant to respond. Autocratic countries, in contrast, performed better, especially in the first eight weeks after the outbreak. Interestingly, every country worldwide adopted a somehow different crisis response strategy, but they had one thing in similar: broadcasting a national television address to inform the nation. Due to the extremely high number of views, every word matters, and hence it sparked the interest to dive deeper into this correlation between language and the citizens' trust and compliance. Methods: For this study, a content analysis was conducted on these live addresses to the nation. Throughout the research, a comparative political perspective is used to discover possible similarities and differences between the two regimes. In total, speeches of eight countries were analyzed with a mix between inductive and deductive codes (China, Vietnam, Russia, Niger, U.S., France, U.K., Germany). Findings: Four primary themes emerged: sentiment towards the virus, attempts to achieve obedience, described strategy, and expected timespan. All leaders spread their deep concerns, however, autocracies leaders more often emphasized the high risks of transmission, and did not downplay the risks one single time. Contrastingly, in the democratic speeches forms of reluctance were spotted, which directly or indirectly can lead to a lower level of obedience to the restriction measures. Democratic leaders also appeal to the population more emotionally, in contrast to the more descriptive and aggressive autocratic rhetoric. Furthermore, penalizing disobediences was mentioned often by the autocratic leaders and solely once by the democratic ones. Also, whereas 'flatten the transmission curve' is mentioned as the primary goal of the democratic leaders to find a balance between the health impact and economic impact, the autocracies state that totally 'defeating' the virus is the goal, disregarding the economic impact. What seems prevalent is that almost all leaders do not back their described timespan with the factual data. As a result, statements that the crisis is almost over, or just at the start, lack the evidence and appear to be vague estimations or guesses.Show less
By applying the three stages of normalisation process theory, this thesis analyses the contribution of face mask producing businesses in Japan for mask normalisation. It concludes that mask...Show moreBy applying the three stages of normalisation process theory, this thesis analyses the contribution of face mask producing businesses in Japan for mask normalisation. It concludes that mask normalisation from the 2000s onwards has mostly been performed by mask producing businesses and that the industry was often aided by governmental support and regulations on mask manufacturing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. By analysing governmental influenza preparedness protocols, mask production numbers and mask media articles in the Asahi Shinbun, this thesis claims that the influence of mask producing businesses for mask normalisation in Japan started in the second half of the 20th century. In the second half of the 20th century, the government of Japan shifts from legislating face masks for the general public during health hazards to solely recommending mask-wearing in such events. Along with this emphasis on individual health responsibilisation, from the 2000s onwards, the government places the responsibility for mask promotion, distribution and production during health hazards on the mask producing industry itself. This causes mask businesses to have free range in advertising masks, which ultimately diversifies mask-wearing purposes. Because of this, masks increasingly lose their originally intended health care purpose and so they are often employed as risk rituals. Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks in Japan seem to have regained their originally intended purpose. And with today´s extensive mask usage and mask innovation, face masks also have become completely integrated into Japanese society.Show less
Sinds het begin van de coronaviruspandemie verspreidt mis- en desinformatie zich ongelimiteerd en razendsnel op traditionele en sociale media. Factchecken wordt beschouwd als het middel om mis- en...Show moreSinds het begin van de coronaviruspandemie verspreidt mis- en desinformatie zich ongelimiteerd en razendsnel op traditionele en sociale media. Factchecken wordt beschouwd als het middel om mis- en desinformatie te bestrijden. Desondanks blijkt uit bestaande literatuur dat factchecken slechts in beperkte mate effectief is in het aanpassen van misvattingen, omdat mensen geneigd zijn om informatie die niet overkomt met bestaande overtuigingen te negeren. Factcheckers hechten steeds meer waarde aan transparantie. Er is echter weinig empirisch bewijs voor het effect van transparantie bij factchecken. Derhalve wordt in dit huidige onderzoek onderzocht wat de invloed is van transparantie in factcheckartikelen op 1) de gepercipieerde betrouwbaarheid en 2) op de accuraatheid en zekerheid van overtuigingen over misvattingen. In totaal namen 112 participanten (m.b.t. onderzoeksvraag over betrouwbaarheid) en 79 participanten (m.b.t. onderzoeksvraag over accuraatheid en zekerheid) mee aan het onderzoek. Na onderzocht te hebben of participanten een misvatting hadden over het coronavirus, kregen zij ofwel een transparant ofwel een niet-transparant factcheckartikel te lezen. De resultaten toonden aan dat transparantie geen invloed had op de gepercipieerde betrouwbaarheid en op de accuraatheid van overtuigingen. Echter, het lezen van een factcheckartikel leidde globaal wel tot accuratere overtuigingen. Daarnaast toonde dit onderzoek aan dat het consumeren van een niet-transparant factcheckartikel tot onzekerdere overtuigingen leidde. Het lezen van een transparant factcheckartikel had geen invloed op de zekerheid van overtuigingen. Aangezien dit fundamenteel onderzoek betreft, wordt aangeraden om deze huidige studie te repliceren voor robuustere bevindingen.Show less
This paper will evaluate the reasons behind different solidarity levels per type of crises. The crises that are examined are: epidemics, high debt, natural disasters, military attacks, climate...Show moreThis paper will evaluate the reasons behind different solidarity levels per type of crises. The crises that are examined are: epidemics, high debt, natural disasters, military attacks, climate change, technological backwardness, refugee inflows, and high unemployment. As soon as a crisis arises and solidarity manifests itself, it is important to look for the reasons behind the difference in levels of solidarity because, with such knowledge, the consequences of a regional crisis can be dealt with accordingly. The theoretical framework indicates that there are three main reasons for the diverse levels of solidarity per type of crisis: (1) need, (2) control, and (3) identity. The first variable refers to the urgency of the help necessary. For instance, in a natural disaster or a pandemic, immediate help is required, since there may be loss of lives. On the other hand, a technological backwardness crisis does not require urgent help. The second variable, control, refers to the remedy that a country or individual can provide itself in a given situation. For instance, if an exogenous crisis occurs, such as a natural disaster, the occurrence is completely out of the hands of a given country. As the country can do little about this needy situation, people are inclined to feel more solidarity towards such a country. The third variable, identity, looks at the question whether you feel close to your inner circle and how broadly you define the inner circle. With the view of the European Union, this paper analyzed which people define their fellow EU-citizens as their inner circle. When performing a regression analysis, all three variables show a statistically significant effect on the willingness to help (solidarity).Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
The construction of signs in the linguistic landscape (henceforth LL) of a given territory is driven by different reasons, and it can reflect upon an area's cultural, social, political, and...Show moreThe construction of signs in the linguistic landscape (henceforth LL) of a given territory is driven by different reasons, and it can reflect upon an area's cultural, social, political, and economic circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic that influenced all countries in the year 2020 has kept a common and stable topic for many signs, which provides a unique opportunity to conduct a comparative LL study. The current study investigates COVID-19 related signs displayed on public transport, shop windows, city noticeboards, inside museums and churches in France, Italy, and the Netherlands. By conducting a mixed-method comparative study in three European countries that were (and still are) affected by the pandemic to different degrees, this study contributes to detecting how their multilingual status, identities, cultural values, and socio-political differences are constructed through a combination of linguistic and visual/multimodal representations, using LL signs as a relevant dataset. The data include 766 COVID-19 related signs collected from July to September 2020, in densely populated, urban areas of France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The quantitative and qualitative results show that monolingual ideologies prevail in France, in line with the country's long-lasting "one nation, one language" policy known as "the Toubon Law". The French signs heavily emphasized the importance of following the rules for the sake of safety and public health as well as illustrated the Parisian identity as a fashion hub. France also had the highest number of multimodal signs, showing a greater focus on visual representation to get important messages across during the pandemic. Italy featured a fair amount of English influence on LL signs, which may reflect the importance of tourism to economic recovery in the summer of 2020. A trademark of the Italian data were the many unique and humorous signs, which, alongside the low percentage of government-created signs used during COVID-19, reflect the cultural values of the country (use of humour in response to adverse conditions, preference for individual efforts, distrust of government). The Netherlands featured the highest proportion of English influence in LL signs, in line with the country's high proficiency in English. Minority languages spoken by large immigrant communities were better represented in the Netherlands, showcasing its linguistic and ethnic diversity. Solidarity, collective action and cooperation were emphasized in many COVID-19 related signs, illustrating Dutch cultural values and the fact that people in the Netherlands may have more trust in their government compared with France and Italy.Show less
Newspapers all around the world have been reporting on the COVID-19 epidemic very frequently. Every newspaper however, has constructed their own narrative on the crisis, as well as on how the...Show moreNewspapers all around the world have been reporting on the COVID-19 epidemic very frequently. Every newspaper however, has constructed their own narrative on the crisis, as well as on how the People's Republic of China dealt with it. This thesis will show how "The Guardian" and the "People's Daily" have each constructed their own distinct narratives on the COVID-19 epidemic in China.Show less
Background. Anger is experienced in various mental disorders. Based on increased mental health problems in students and the adversity of the coronavirus pandemic, (1) the relations between anger,...Show moreBackground. Anger is experienced in various mental disorders. Based on increased mental health problems in students and the adversity of the coronavirus pandemic, (1) the relations between anger, depression, anxiety, stress, and being occupied with COVID-19 were explored. As traits predict interpersonal events and states identify events under situational control, it was investigated (2) if baseline trait anger predicted average state anger during a period of self-isolation to test if anger levels were determined by general tendencies, and (3) if trait and average state anger differed within and between men and women to test if the groups were affected differently by situational factors. Methods. (1) Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data was collected from 79 undergraduates from Dutch universities, with surveys prompted via smartphone four times daily for 14 days. Contemporaneous, temporal, and between-subjects networks were computed. (2) In a multiple regression analysis, average EMA state anger was regressed on trait anger while controlling for gender, age, depression, anxiety, and stress. (3) A mixed-design analysis of covariance included standardized type of anger as a within-factor and gender as a between-factor while controlling for differences in mental health. Results. (1) Contemporaneously, anger was positively associated with irritability, feeling nervous and anhedonia. Temporally, anger and irritability positively predicted each other. Anger positively predicted difficulty to relax and itself. Between-subjects, anger was positively associated with irritability and feeling nervous but negatively with being occupied with COVID-19. (2) Trait anger did not significantly predict average EMA anger, whereas the covariate stress did. (3) Despite significantly lower trait anger compared to women, men displayed significantly increased average EMA anger in relation to their trait levels. Trait and average EMA anger did not differ within women. Conclusion. EMA anger was persistently related to stress, less likely to be the source or recipient of activation compared to other constructs, not strongly linked to trait, and increased in relation to trait levels only in the male group. Differences between our healthy participants and a clinical sample encourage an investigation of anger in phase transitions towards psychopathology and its potentially adaptive effects in healthy individuals.Show less
The present study aims to investigate a possible relationship between perceived stress and missing data. Respondents were asked to answer a series of questionnaires (Baseline, Ecological momentary...Show moreThe present study aims to investigate a possible relationship between perceived stress and missing data. Respondents were asked to answer a series of questionnaires (Baseline, Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and post assessments) over the course of a 2-week period. One hundred undergraduate students between 18 to 48 years of age comprised the sample. The respondents were asked to complete four EMA questionnaires per day, for each day of the duration of the study. The results analysed were composed of the data from 84 of the respondents: 19 males, 64 females, and one person who did not identify their gender. The level of perceived stress was collected at baseline for each individual, and the evolution of stress level was analysed in relationship to the cumulative percentage of the amount of missing data; throughout the EMA period. To explore this relationship, two hypotheses were tested: stressed individuals have more missing data and women have more perceived stress in relation to the levels of missing data. The regression analysis between the level of perceived stress, gender and missing data held a non-significant p-value of 0.861. Concerning the exploratory research question: multiple stressors such as the burden created by the questionnaires and COVID-19 pandemic showed an influence on missing data. A positive relationship between stress created by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and missing data was found with F(5,78)=2.335, p= .050 indicating the impact of the pandemic on the respondent's compliance. In conclusion, the obtained results did not show any significant results between stress, gender and missing data. Consequently, both the hypotheses were rejected. Interestingly, the stress caused by the current pandemic might have influenced the amount of missing data. A peculiarity of the study was the co-occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic that might have influenced the results, and the level of perceived stress of the respondents. In the analysis and interpretation of the results it is necessary to take into consideration this particular situation and the impact on each individual’s daily life.Show less
Background: It is well established that social contact is related to mental health. Previous research has shown that the quantity and quality of social interactions are associated with the...Show moreBackground: It is well established that social contact is related to mental health. Previous research has shown that the quantity and quality of social interactions are associated with the development, course and severity of mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Less is known about the psychological effects of social contact during a pandemic. Method: The current study investigates the dynamic associations among offline social interactions, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in undergraduates from a Dutch university (N=79; 75.95% female; MAge =20.37) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) was used for the data collection. A short online questionnaire was prompted via smartphone four times a day for two consecutive weeks. Multilevel vector autoregressive models were used for the network analysis and centrality indices were calculated. Results: We found significant dynamic associations among the duration of offline social contact and depression symptoms only. The absence of pleasure was associated with less offline social interactions, and vice versa. Having nothing to look forward to was predictive of less offline social contact three hours later. Social contact scored the lowest on centrality indices in our sample. Conclusion: Altogether, we found the duration of offline social contact to be partially related to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results, strengths and limitations are discussed. Examining the dynamic associations among mental health and social contact can provide novel insights into the development and maintenance of mental health issues.Show less
The statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the...Show moreThe statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the SARS and COVID-19 virus in People’s Republic of China (PRC). Images help us learn, images grab attention and they are helping to explain tough concept. That is why I think it is interesting to take a look at the representations of images of SARS and COVID-19. In this context I speak about images that are directly related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or are at least have been approved by it. In my research I will focus on two time periodes. 2002-2003, the time of the SARS virus outbreak and 2020, the year of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. I will analyze images from both time periodes to investigate if the images show similarities in representing the virus or have changed over time and I will try to analyze why this is the case.Show less
