The disappearance of a spouse places the surviving partner in a prolonged state of legal uncertainty under Malaysian law. This uncertainty is principally governed by section 108 of the Evidence Act 1950, which establishes a rebuttable presumption of death after seven years of unexplained absence, and section 63 of the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, which provides a matrimonial remedy through a decree of presumption of death and divorce. Although both provisions are triggered by the same factual condition, their legal functions and consequences remain uncoordinated. Section 108 operates as a general evidential rule applicable across legal contexts, while section 63 is confined to the dissolution of marriage and does not determine death for proprietary or administrative purposes. This article argues that the lack of coordination between these provisions places surviving spouses in a prolonged state of legal limbo. Even where marital status is resolved under section 63, access to property, estate administration, financial entitlements, and parental authority remains constrained until death is separately established through evidential and probate processes. This fragmented structure generates procedural duplication, financial hardship, and sustained personal and economic burdens during the statutory waiting period. Drawing on legal analysis, judicial interpretation, and comparative perspectives from jurisdictions that adopt integrated presumption of death frameworks, the article demonstrates that section 63, in its present form, offers limited protective value. It concludes that targeted reform is necessary to harmonise evidential and matrimonial consequences, reduce procedural fragmentation, and restore legal certainty for surviving spouses affected by disappearance.
Employee retention exists as a crucial issue for organizations throughout the world because it leads to decreased productivity, diminished employee morale and lower performance standards. The study examines the relationship between communication satisfaction and employee retention in organizations located in the northern part of Bangladesh. It further investigates the mediating role of job embeddedness based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The study employed a quantitative research method to collect data from 290 employees using a structured questionnaire in organizations located in the northern part of Bangladesh. A simple random sampling technique was used to ensure that each member of the population had an equal chance of selection. The study applied Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data. The study found a significant positive connection between communication satisfaction and employee retention. It further revealed that job embeddedness partially mediates this relationship. The results demonstrate how communication satisfaction and job embeddedness function as factors that determine employee retention rates in remote work environments. The study presents theoretical and managerial implications based on the findings, along with its limitations and directions for future research.
Preventive health behaviors such as vaccination, routine health screening, balanced nutrition, physical activity, and early medical consultation play an important role in reducing disease risk and improving overall public health outcomes. However, the adoption of these behaviors varies significantly across different societies and communities. Public health research has traditionally focused on factors such as access to healthcare, education, income level, and health awareness to explain differences in preventive behavior. At the same time, studies in cultural sociology and anthropology suggest that cultural beliefs, traditions, social norms, and collective values strongly influence how individuals perceive illness, prevention, and medical advice. Existing literature shows that cultural identity, family traditions, religious perspectives, and community expectations can shape people’s attitudes toward vaccination, screening programs, and lifestyle changes. Despite these insights, many public health studies treat culture as a secondary variable rather than examining it as a central factor influencing preventive behavior. This creates a gap in understanding how cultural frameworks interact with health communication, trust in healthcare systems, and perceptions of risk. Addressing this gap is important because preventive health programs often fail when cultural values and social contexts are not fully considered. Therefore, this study integrates perspectives from cultural studies and public health to examine how cultural determinants shape preventive health behavior. By analyzing the relationship between cultural beliefs, social norms, and preventive practices, the paper aims to provide a cross-disciplinary understanding that can support the development of more culturally informed public health strategies and interventions.
Over the past three decades, the number of intercultural marriages in Southeast Asia has increased rapidly. In Vietnam, many multicultural Korean households have chosen to stay rather than immigrate, forming multicultural communities. Although some studies have examined marital conflicts and acculturation difficulties experienced by Vietnamese wives in receiving countries, there is little evidence of the marital challenges faced by intercultural Vietnamese-Korean families in their home country. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate relationship quality, cultural conflicts, and management strategies among Korean-Vietnamese unions in the largest city in Vietnam. A mixed-methods approach involving focus group and individual interviews was conducted with twenty-eight Vietnamese wives residing in three sub-districts of Ho Chi Minh City.
Refers to entrepreneurial learning as a communicative and relational process by which actors interpret experience, negotiate meaning, and enact entrepreneurial behaviour. Few empirical studies have considered how relational mechanisms function within institutional contexts to preserve and create ventures. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response framework, this study examines how the close mentoring process and the institutional innovation ecosystem, as the mediation and moderation, respectively, determine new venture creation among undergraduate students in entrepreneurship education. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysed survey data from 479 entrepreneurship students across Malaysian higher education institutions. The findings show that close mentoring activities mediate the effects of experiential learning and the incubation process on new venture creation directly and indirectly. More significantly, the results demonstrate that the innovation ecosystem moderates the close mentoring activity to new venture creation. This suggests that the institutional infrastructure, evidenced by digital readiness, policy reinforcement, and an innovation-orientated culture, responds to mentoring relationships. The study contributes to communication-centric entrepreneurship research by revealing that, between relational sensemaking processes and institutional discursive environments, entrepreneurial behaviour evolves. It considers the innovation ecosystem not just as a contextual condition but as a core amplifying factor that propels mentoring relationships to entrepreneurial outcomes.
Open Innovation (OI) has increasingly been recognized as a strategic approach that enables firms to enhance performance of innovation through the integration of internal and external knowledge flows. Although a substantial body of research has examined OI in large corporations and developed economies, empirical evidence regarding its adoption among Micro and Small Enterprises operating in emerging regional ecosystems remains limited. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the extent to which firms located in the Paraíba Valley region, São Paulo, Brazil, are familiar with and adopt OI practices and whether these practices contribute to organizational performance and regional innovation dynamics. The research adopts an applied and descriptive quantitative approach based on a survey conducted micro and small enterprises operating in the region. Data was analyzed using statistical procedures, including factor analysis, to identify the main dimensions associated with the adoption of OI practices and to validate the analytical framework proposed in this study. The results indicate that OI is increasingly embedded in the strategic behavior of firms within the regional ecosystem. Approximately 81% of the companies report adopting OI-oriented strategies, while inbound collaboration practices are observed in 72% of firms and outbound collaboration in 69%. Additionally, an innovation-oriented organizational culture that supports knowledge exchange and external partnerships is present in 86% of the companies analyzed. This study contributes to the literature by offering an analytical model that integrates strategy, inbound collaboration, outbound collaboration, and innovation culture, providing implications for policymakers and managers seeking to foster innovation ecosystems and regional development.
The aim of this study is to investigate the physical and social development of students with special needs (intellectually disabled, autistic, and Down syndrome) participating in a comprehensive special movement education programme. Eighteen students (six with Down syndrome, six with autism spectrum disorder, and six with intellectual disabilities) from a special education institution in Erzurum participated in the study. The students were aged between 8 and 10 years. A special movement training programme was developed for the study. The special movement training programme was planned taking into account the physical and social development of the children. In addition, an observation form was prepared by academics, and behaviors were observed and recorded throughout the implementation process. Interviews were also conducted with instructors at the special education and rehabilitation centre to obtain information about the students' physical and social changes. A 12-week programme was prepared for the research and implemented twice a week (on Saturdays and Sundays) for 60-90 minutes. Observations made at the beginning of the studies revealed that male and female students with autism spectrum disorder exhibited shy and reluctant behavior, students with Down syndrome were more active and eager, and children with learning difficulties were eager to participate in activities but their success rates were low. At the end of the research, male students with Down syndrome actively participated in the activities, while some female students remained passive in the application, behaved reluctantly, and showed no improvement in communication skills. According to the results of the study, it can be said that inclusive special movement training and the continuity of sports activities, more types of games, and more activities that children want and enjoy will contribute positively to children's physical and social development.
This study examines the use of pragmatic strategies in Generation Z’s linguistic expressions related to mental health issues on social media, drawing on Grice’s (1975) Cooperative Principle and Sperber and Wilson’s (1986) Relevance Theory. The analysis focuses on the exploitation of the Cooperative Principle maxims and the implicatures generated in mental health–related discourse. The data consist of Malay-language utterances purposively collected from social media platforms, particularly those exhibiting features of maxim exploitation. The analytical procedure involved data transcription, identification of types of maxim exploitation, derivation of implicatures based on relevance principles, and determination of communicative strategies according to the contextual features of the utterances. The findings reveal that Generation Z consistently exploits conversational maxims to convey indirect meanings, avoid social conflict, and manage audience perceptions when discussing sensitive mental health issues. Such maxim-exploiting linguistic expressions function as a self-protective mechanism that enables speakers to articulate views, experiences, and responses related to mental health while safeguarding their public image. The use of these communicative strategies indicates a tendency among speakers to adapt their utterances to social norms and audience expectations. This study demonstrates that pragmatic strategies play a crucial role in meaning construction and the management of mental health communication among Generation Z in digital spaces. Overall, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between linguistic form, communicative strategy, and mental health discourse among young social media users.
This mixed-methods study investigates the efficacy and implementation of Dienes games, manipulative tools designed by Zoltán P. Dienes to foster mathematical learning through play. Drawing on data from 506 Hungarian respondents (59.9% educators, 20.2% parents, 20% others) collected in Q2 2025, we address four research questions: (1) How do educators and parents perceive the games’ impact on cognitive, social, and emotional development? (2) To what extent can they be integrated into curricula or family settings? (3) What barriers and facilitators influence their application? (4) How do demographic and socioeconomic factors shape perceptions? Quantitative analyses (Spearman correlations, ANOVA, chi-square tests, logistic regression) and qualitative methods (content analysis, triangulation) reveal that games like “Who Gets to the Castle?” and “Forest Game” are highly effective (60.3% and 57.1% fully effective), particularly in preschools (M=4.29–4.72), but less so in family settings (M=2.28–3.35) due to resource constraints. The games enhance mathematical, logical, cooperative, and confidence skills, with qualitative themes (e.g., confidence: 42.6%, cooperation: 28.4%) aligning with quantitative scores. Preschool curriculum integration is strong (70.1% high fit), but primary schools face curriculum barriers (49.8% low fit). Equipment shortages (21.9%) and lack of methodological knowledge (19.8%) are key barriers, while training (39.1%) and materials (31.2%) facilitate use. Demographic factors (role, experience) significantly influence perceptions, with socioeconomic disparities indirectly evident. Recommendations include resource provision, teacher training, and parent guides. Future research should explore long-term impacts and socioeconomic effects.
In the context of increasing competitive pressure and regulatory demands, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer perceived solely as an external reputational tool but is increasingly seen as a strategic component of human resource management. The social pillar of CSR – focused on employee development, working conditions, work–life balance and internal communication – represents a key mechanism through which firms can strengthen motivation, loyalty and long-term competitiveness. This article examines the economic value of social CSR practices from a human resource management perspective in a Slovak manufacturing firm. The study aims to evaluate how internally oriented CSR activities contribute to perceived competitive advantage and how employee perceptions differ according to education level and hierarchical position. The empirical research is based on a cross-sectional survey of 51 employees. It uses descriptive statistics, along with 2×2 contingency table analyses (Fisher's exact test and the chi-square test with Yates' correction), and complements them with effect sizes and odds ratios. The results confirm that employees perceive social CSR practices – particularly training and development, health protection, and work–life balance-as significant contributors to motivation, loyalty and organisational reputation. At the same time, differences in awareness of formal CSR strategy and variations across hierarchical levels indicate internal communication gaps. Higher management evaluates CSR implementation more positively, while uncertainty is more frequent among operational staff. Interestingly, employees with lower levels of formal education report greater awareness of an official CSR strategy. The findings highlight that the business economic value of CSR depends not only on formal ESG reporting and strategic declarations, but primarily on how deeply CSR principles are embedded in human resource management practices and organisational culture. For firms operating in competitive manufacturing environments, socially responsible HR management can represent an important intangible asset and a source of sustainable competitive advantage.
Close mentoring relationships are a key focus area of this research, which explores the connection between such relationships and entrepreneurial learning and the creation of startups among students at higher education institutions in Malaysia. Using Experiential Learning Theory as a basis, the study attempts to discover the way in which mentoring acts as a catalyst for the efficiency of experiential learning and incubation processes in the context of university entrepreneurship ecosystems. Entrepreneurship students (n = 479) from both public and private universities across Malaysia participated in a quantitative cross-sectional survey. The structure analysis shows that the services acquired to facilitate experiential learning and incubation processes significantly contribute to entrepreneurial development and venture creation. It is important that close mentoring has, on one hand, a direct impact on the creation of a new venture, and, on the other hand, it acts as a moderation in terms of strengthening the relationships between the experiential learning, incubation processes, and entrepreneurial results. The results emphasise that mentoring acts as a relational catalyst that supports students in turning those experiences into actions toward entrepreneurship. Through this article, we expand the scope of the mentoring relationships and entrepreneurial learning literature, which has grown exponentially in recent years. Also, the study provides practical propositions for the design of mentoring-orientated entrepreneurship education at higher education establishments.
This study examines Abbasid-era Arabic poetry not merely within the framework of literary genres and aesthetic characteristics, but as a representation of human relations shaped by the historical, social, and cultural dynamics of the period. The multicultural fabric of the Abbasid State, its pursuit of political stability, social stratification, and intellectual dynamism transformed poetry into both a sophisticated art form and a functional medium for reflecting complex social interactions. Within this context, poetry assumed a pivotal role in contextualizing the relationships between the individual and authority, the poet and the protector, the person and society, and the human and death. This study examines classical genres such as madih (panegyric), hija (satire), and ritha (elegy) from a literary history perspective, analyzing how each genre constructs, transforms, and reproduces human relations. While panegyric poems render visible power dynamics based on patronage, loyalty, and reciprocity; satirical poems reflect interpersonal tensions through social conflict, defamation, and symbolic violence. Furthermore, through themes of death, mourning, and loss, ritha (elegy) highlights the concepts of loyalty, belonging, and collective memory, thereby transforming individual grief into a shared social sensibility. Adopting a text-centered and contextual methodology, this study demonstrates that Abbasid poetry cannot be conceptualized independently of historical events, social structures, and human experiences. Consequently, it can be argued that Arabic poetry of the Abbasid period serves as a dynamic cultural sphere where human relations are constructed through aesthetic language, and where social values, ethical standards, and historical consciousness are transmitted via literary texts.
This study aimed to enhance the understanding of self-expansion in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts by establishing the validity of a Brazilian Portuguese translation of the Self-Expansion Questionnaire (SEQ, Lewandowski & Aron, 2002). A total of 1,366 participants were engaged across three data collections phases in this investigation, employing an online survey methodology. In the initial phase (203 participants, 73,94% females), we explored the factor structures of the scales through exploratory factor analyses. The second data collection phase (1,064 participants, 58,4% females) evaluated the cultural adjustment to a specific item and conducted a confirmatory factor analysis. The third data collection phase (99 participants, 68,7% females) tested the convergent validity of the self-expansion scale, utilizing openness to experience and general self-efficacy as external measures. The Brazilian version of the SEQ, comprising 13 items (excluding item 4, due to its incongruence with the Brazilian context) demonstrated strong internal reliability (α=0,91; ω=0,92), suggesting its suitability for Brazilian populations. The lack of convergent validity with external measures (self-efficacy and openness to experience) was contrary to patterns observed in other cultures contexts. Our research provides valuable insights into the cultural nuances influencing self-expansion among Brazilians, prompting further inquiries into its specific meanings and psychometric properties within this population.
Passionate love is widely considered a hallmark of romantic relationships and a central component of adult development. While the onset and psychological impacts of passionate love have been well-studied, little is known about how frequently individuals experience passionate love in their lifetime. In this study, we quantified the number of passionate love experiences reported by 10,036 single U.S. adults aged 18 to 99, and examined how the number of passionate love experiences varied by gender, age, and sexual orientation. On average, participants had experienced passionate love twice in their lifetime, while 14% had never experienced it. Older adults and men reported slightly more experiences of passionate love than did younger adults and women, respectively. Notably, the only significant sexual orientation difference emerged in an interaction: heterosexual men reported more passionate love experiences than did heterosexual women. These findings expand the empirical application of Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love by illustrating population-level distributions of passion across diverse individuals and life stages. These findings have practical implications for relationship science and intervention, and call for further research exploring nuances that underpin variations in propensities for passionate love.
This study examined the psychometric characteristics of the Experience of Saudade Scale (ESS) in a Brazilian sample, its measurement invariance across gender, and the relations of the experience of saudade with well-being and personality traits. The sample comprised 268 Brazilian participants aged 18-31 years. They completed the ESS, and other scales measuring satisfaction with life, satisfaction with love life, self-esteem, loneliness, and personality. The fit of the three-factor model of the ESS (Missing Close Others, Lack of Intimacy, and Longing for the Past) to the data was good, and reliability was adequate. Measurement invariance of the ESS across gender groups was supported. Gender had no effect, and model fit did not vary according to gender. The three factors of the ESS correlated positively with neuroticism. Additionally, (a) Missing close others correlated negatively with satisfaction with love life, (b) Lack of intimacy and Longing for the past correlated with the four measures of well-being. Well-being measures predicted experienced saudade over and above personality traits.
The ability of schoolchildren to show high academic results today, more than ever, is under threat from a number of external and internal factors. In particular, it does not reduce the negative impact of the fascination of modern teenagers with the Internet, the creation of new, sometimes far from reality, self-images, ways of self-presentation, through the formation of a new network identity. Network identity is a specific type of identity that is formed in the process of intensive interpersonal communication in the Internet space, which allows users to position themselves by assigning certain qualities, characteristics, and features. The article presents the results of a study of the characteristics of network identity in adolescents with varying degrees of propensity to Internet addiction. The authors use valid research methods, as well as statistical methods. The sample included 100 adolescents of both sexes aged 14–16 years. As a result of the study, groups of schoolchildren with moderate and high propensities for Internet addiction were identified. It was found that the motivational attitudes towards self-realization in the Internet space, the features of self-disclosure and self-presentation in network interaction in adolescents of both groups are expressed at the same level. At the same time, adolescents with a high degree of propensity for Internet addiction are characterized by a more emotional involvement in the Internet space, a higher degree of satisfaction with their virtual self-presentation, and social-role characteristics of network interaction are more significant. Significant relationships between the degree of Internet addiction and the characteristics of network identity in adolescents have been revealed.
This study explores the emotional and motivational drivers underlying the construction of digital executive personal branding in Latin America, within the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) and developed through a phenomenological approach (Moustakas, 1994). Based on 18 in-depth interviews with executives from Peru and Colombia, the research identified two experiential dimensions that shape the management of digital identity: the feelings and motivations that drive the sharing of achievements and the experiences related to social feedback. Findings reveal that executive personal branding in professional networks constitutes a process of emotional self-determination, where the three basic psychological needs —autonomy, competence, and relatedness— are expressed through these two interdependent dimensions. The first reflects the desire to control one’s digital narrative (autonomy), the satisfaction derived from demonstrating mastery and growth (competence), and the pursuit of connection and symbolic recognition (relatedness). The second addresses how validation, frustration, and emotional regulation shape the experience of exposure and self-management in response to metrics and digital judgments. Overall, the study positions digital executive personal branding as an emotional and psychological practice that integrates intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and as a process of symbolic self-determination that fosters emotionally sustainable visibility and enhanced digital well-being.
In a sample (n = 226) of emerging adults, the current study found that interparental conflict was associated with decreased expectations for adult romantic relationships. In separate analyses, this relationship was mediated by attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, resilience, and relationship self-efficacy. The results are consistent with previous research showing the harmful effects of high IPC on emerging adults’ relationship processes (Riggio, 2004; Smith-Etxeberria et al., 2020) which can be understood in the context of several models, including social learning theory and attachment theory. Future research should incorporate longitudinal methods and explore possible therapeutic interventions with emerging adults who have experienced high interparental conflict, with the hope that relationship education could minimize the adverse effects often associated with IPC. By understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms that link recall of IPC and current adult relationship functioning, this study may provide information helpful to practitioners when developing treatments to ameliorate adverse future relationship outcomes.
The number of cases of dating violence (DV) in Indonesia is rising annually. Physical harm, depression, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low self-esteem, and dissatisfaction with relationships are among the risks that survivors encounter. Despite this, studies have shown that many survivors do not immediately access professional psychological help. They typically regard professional mental health services less favorably. This study explored the role of the self-stigma and perception of abuse in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. It used three scales, namely the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help (ATSPPH-SF) scale, the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale, and the Abusive Behavior Inventory - Revised (ABI-R). A total 238 of women who had experienced DV participated. The results showed that self-stigma towards professional psychological help significantly predicted attitude towards seeking professional psychological help. Additionally, hierarchical regression revealed that knowledge related to psychological services predicted attitude toward seeking professional psychological help. However, age, education background, experience using psychological services, and perception of abuse did not have a significant effect.
The relationship between the quality of parental attachment and subjective well-being has been extensively studied. However, this relationship has been little addressed in the Latin American context, as well as the differential contribution of attachment to the mother and to the father on subjective well-being in adolescents. The aim of this research was to evaluate the association between the dimensions of attachment to both parental figures (quality communication, mutual trust and anger or alienation) and subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect) in Chilean adolescents. For this purpose, a cross-sectional correlational study was conducted, in which 421 adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age participated. The adolescents completed the Parent and Peer Attachment Inventory, in its brief version (IPPA short), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Brief Scale to Assess Positive and Negative Affect (PNA-10). The results show that all the dimensions of attachment to the mother figure were associated with the subjective well-being of the adolescents, whereas only the dimension of the quality communication with the father was related to subjective well-being. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
