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Exploring the experiences and wellbeing of competitive women, transgender, and gender diverse gamers
Full text linkVideo gaming offers various benefits, such as social connections and improved wellbeing. However, as competitive video gaming continues to grow, gender-related harassment of women, transgender, and gender diverse (TGD) gamers in competitive environments persists. This study explored the experiences of gamers in gaming communities, their mental health, and gaming imposter syndrome across genders. The study also explored women and TGD gamers’ experiences of gender-related harassment. Findings showed that ∼87% of women and TGD gamers reported gender-related harassment and employed a range of avoidance action to minimize harassment. They also reported greater worries about engaging in gaming communities, greater gaming imposter syndrome, and poorer mental health. The findings highlight the pervasiveness of gender-related harassment in competitive video gaming and the reliance of short-term coping strategies among women and TGD gamers. While identity-specific communities may offer support, structural and cultural changes are needed to foster inclusive competitive gaming spaces
Navigating informality: the role of tax morale and tourism in shaping the shadow economy of G7 nations under a multipolar world
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Contribution of traditional healers to the burden of mental health conditions in five African countries and England
Full text linkPurpose
Mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and alcohol use disorders are leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide. However, the understanding of the burden of these conditions varies across countries, as does the access to and utilisation of services for those who seek help. Many Africans depend on traditional healers as their primary source of mental health care due to cultural beliefs and easier accessibility compared to biomedical services. This study aimed to understand the burden of mental health conditions in selected countries, evaluate the contributions of traditional healers as a support source, and identify future directions for mental health and traditional healing research.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focused on five African countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe) and Black African communities in England. The study was primarily a desk review, complemented by a priority-setting exercise and a consensus-building workshop with traditional healers and mental health researchers to validate and strengthen the findings. A predefined template co-created during the priority-setting process was used to guide the non-systematic review mapping and covered three areas: 1) burden of these conditions, 2) contributions of traditional healers and 3) mental health policy and legislative frameworks. Data analysis from the non-systematic review was conducted descriptively. Cross-country similarities and differences, as well as future research directions, were collaboratively discussed during the consensus-building workshop.
Findings
In terms of the burden of conditions, the study revealed that depression was recognised as the most prevalent condition among all six countries. The contributions of traditional healers were more acknowledged in the African countries than in England, although their exact roles in providing mental health support across all six countries were not fully known or understood. In addition, mental health policies and legislation existed in all the African countries and recognised the presence of traditional healers, albeit to varying degrees. None of the mental health policies or legislation in England acknowledged the contributions of traditional healers. These findings and the consensus-building process led to the establishment of the Pan-African Mental Health Research Network to advance research on mental health and traditional healing in Black African societies.
Research limitations/implications
More research is needed on the role and contribution of traditional healers in mental health in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.
Practical implications
There is a need for active engagement with traditional healers to increase their visibility and potential contributions to mental health.
Social implications
Engagement of traditional healers as key stakeholders in decision making processes regarding mental health in communities is needed.
Originality/value
The burden of mental ill health varied across different countries, and the potential contribution of traditional healers in alleviating this problem in Africa and among African communities in England was not well understood. Active engagement with traditional healers is necessary to enhance their visibility and investigate their potential contribution to mental health support
Beyond ownership structures: oil company climate discourses in authoritarian Russia and Kazakhstan
Full text linkOil companies play a central role in global climate politics, yet existing research provides a limited understanding of how corporate climate strategies vary across ownership structures and political systems. This article addresses this gap though a comparative study of private and state-owned oil companies in Russia and Kazakhstan. Both are authoritarian states, major global oil producers, significant greenhouse gas emitters, and are highly dependent on fossil fuel exports. Using a most-similar system design, the analysis draws on an extensive range of publicly available corporate documents in English, Russian and Kazakh, to examine how oil companies (private and state-owned) have responded to climate change, and how these discourses interact with national climate agendas. Comparing discursive framings on climate change across countries and ownership types, the findings show that authoritarian state priorities strongly shape climate discourses, overshadowing differences generated by both private and state-owned companies. Unlike their Western counterparts that are driven primarily by financial and reputational interests, in Russia and Kazakhstan, both private and state-owned companies largely align their climate narratives with national political goals, limiting the scope for independent or market-driven climate positioning. Broadly, this article advances understanding of how political context shapes corporate climate behaviour. It demonstrates that in authoritarian fossil fuel states, national politics takes centre stage in structuring corporate engagement with climate change, with important implications for global climate governance
Beyond cultural borders: self‐construal, religiosity and consumer response to cause‐related marketing
Full text linkThis study examines how self-construal and intrinsic religiosity influence consumer attitudes towards cause-related marketing (CRM) in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Guided by regulatory focus and self-signalling theory, the research tests whether independent and interdependent self-construals predict CRM attitudes, and whether intrinsic religiosity moderates these effects. A cross-national scenario-based survey (N = 810) used standardised CRM scenarios, with structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse the data. Independent self-construal predicted positive CRM attitudes in both countries. Interdependent self-construal was significant only in Nigeria. CRM attitudes strongly predicted willingness to pay (WTP) in both contexts. Religiosity moderated the relationship between self-construal and CRM attitudes, strengthening the effect of interdependence in Nigeria and independence in the United Kingdom. The findings highlight the role of psychological and cultural variables in shaping CRM response and inform strategy beyond national-level generalisations
The therapeutic effect of narrative-oriented occupational therapy group among substance users in abstinence treatment: preliminary findings from a quasi-experimental study using a retrospective design
No full textThe present study retrospectively evaluated a narrative-oriented occupational therapy (OT) program designed for individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). Individuals with SUDs (mean age = 31.50 years [SD = 6.46]; N = 26; 96.2% males) completed a narrative-oriented OT program (six 1.5-h sessions) across six weeks. Small- to medium-effect improvements were found in stages of change, drug resistance, self-efficacy, self-esteem, social quality of life (QoL), and environment QoL. Narrative-oriented OT helped individuals with SUDs prepare themselves for not using substances (e.g., moving them from pre-contemplation stage to contemplation/action stage). Narrative-oriented OT seems to be feasible and acceptable for future large-scale studies to further examine its effects
Unveiling the role of molybdenum doping in bimetallic metal–organic frameworks for advanced oxygen evolution reaction performance
No full textReframing transnational education through institutional logics: the THRIVE framework for sustainable and equitable partnerships
No full textThis conceptual paper responds to growing concerns that Transnational Education (TNE) has become dominated by market imperatives, leading to persistent challenges around equity, localisation, legitimacy, and long-term sustainability. To address these issues, the paper introduces THRIVE, a design-oriented conceptual framework that reconceptualises TNE as a logic-blending system grounded in Institutional Logics Theory (ILT). THRIVE comprises five interdependent pillars—Holistic Engagement, Resilience, Inclusivity, Viability, and Equity—which together enable institutions to align market objectives with academic standards, public-good mandates, and community expectations. The paper synthesises existing literature to critique traditional TNE models and to articulate the theoretical foundations of THRIVE, demonstrating how it operationalises ILT through mechanisms such as co-governance, curriculum co-design, revenue sharing, and inclusive access strategies. Its analytical and practical value is illustrated through four hypothetical case studies representing mainstream TNE models, showing THRIVE’s dual function as a planning tool for new initiatives and a turnaround mechanism for existing partnerships. By embedding social legitimacy and developmental alignment alongside financial sustainability, the framework offers a blueprint for reorienting TNE towards equitable, context-responsive, and resilient global engagement. The paper concludes with implications for institutional strategy and regulatory policy, positioning THRIVE as a foundation for future reform in the governance of transnational higher education