Worldwide, an increase in cases and severity of domestic violence (DV) has been reported as a result of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. As one’s language can provide inferences...Show moreWorldwide, an increase in cases and severity of domestic violence (DV) has been reported as a result of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. As one’s language can provide inferences about one’s mental health, this study analyzed word use in a DV online support group, aiming to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the mental health of DV victims. As social support and leisure activities might mitigate the consequences of DV on one’s mental health, their role as protective factors was examined. 5856 posts were collected from a DV support group and from two comparison groups on the social media platform Reddit. Confirmatory analysis was conducted following a registered pre-analysis plan. The results show that DV victims used significantly more linguistic indicators of depression than individuals in the comparison groups. However, linguistic indicators of depression did not increase significantly with the onset of COVID-19. Negative emotion words showed a weak negative correlation with words referring to social support (rho = - .110) and leisure activities (rho = -.137). Similarly, pre-occupation with COVID-19 was associated with using more negative emotion words (rho = .148). Exploratory analysis revealed that mid-pandemic, daily posting frequency in the DV support group was 22% higher than pre-pandemic. It is concluded that DV victims show more linguistic indicators of depression than comparison groups and that these characteristics are stable over time. Further, one’s concern with COVID-19 could contribute to negative emotions, whereas social support and leisure activities could function to some degree as protective factors for victims of DVShow less
Domestic violence is a highly prevalent form of violation of human rights. Victims often exhibit trauma symptoms and/or suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Identifying individuals at...Show moreDomestic violence is a highly prevalent form of violation of human rights. Victims often exhibit trauma symptoms and/or suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Identifying individuals at risk for PTSD can sometimes be difficult, yet it is the key in ensuring prevention of later treatment. The solution might be recognition of early trauma-specific symptoms that are predictors of PTSD and can be detectable through spontaneous narratives. Under extreme stressors individuals experience even more distress, which can amplify pre existing trauma symptoms. This study investigated the linguistic characteristics of trauma specific symptoms over two periods – before Covid-19 and during Covid-19 in a domestic violence (DV) victims’ group and a control group. The sample consisted of a total 4413 Subreddit posts that were analyzed using the software Language Inquiry and Word Count. The following categories were investigated: word count, cognitive processes, 1st person singular pronoun, positive emotions, and death. A MANOVA analysis showed that the linguistic markers of trauma were stronger in the victims group compared to control. Victims had longer narratives that included more 1st person singular pronouns, and fewer cognition words and fewer positive emotion words. However, the markers did not differ over the two time periods. The results indicate that victims exhibit stronger trauma-specific discourse compared to control. Unlike self-reports, linguistic analysis of natural word use is free from response bias, a problem often encountered by clinicians. Analysis of linguistic characteristics of spontaneously written material can contribute to early detection of trauma symptoms and prevention of PTSD.Show less
This research is aimed at characterizing the Dutch law of perjury with theories of lying as described by philosophers of language. In American law various inconsistencies of perjury cases led to...Show moreThis research is aimed at characterizing the Dutch law of perjury with theories of lying as described by philosophers of language. In American law various inconsistencies of perjury cases led to research on the topic. Those studies all have concluded that lying and perjury differ greatly in several notable areas. Often discussed is the well-known perjury case of former US President Clinton. Research states Bill Clinton obviously was not speaking the truth, but he was never impeached with perjury. Possible explanations could be a political agenda or the lack of adequate evidence. This research paper will discuss the differences between the Dutch and American legal systems, as well as offering a critical analysis of why these systems differ. The central question in this research answers in what ways the Dutch law of perjury can be characterized by the pragmatic theories of lying. Four court cases, all different in outcome, will be linguistically analysed. The linguistic analysis performed in this research is based on Grice’s maxims of Cooperation, Searle’s Speech Act theory, the provided definition of lying and the analytic tools as described by Shuy. This will provide various insights in the interpretation of the Dutch perjury law. Based on the results, this research paper concludes that lying cannot perfectly characterize the Dutch law of perjury, however, they cannot be fully separated from each other either. What this analysis clearly shows are the possibilities of a linguistic analysis when discussing perjury lawsuits. The discourse analysis can provide insights in someone’s intentions, as well as the weaknesses in someone’s statements. This paper strongly promotes the statement that using linguistic analyses is beneficial to the legal system, especially in court cases concerning crimes of language.Show less
