Funerals are a reflective practice to bid farewell to the departed soul. Different religions, cultural traditions, rituals, and social beliefs guide how funeral practices take place. Family and friends gather together to support each other in times of grief. However, during the coronavirus pandemic, the way funerals are taking place is affected by the country's rules and region to avoid the spread of infection. The present study explores the media portrayal of public sentiments over funerals. In particular, the present study tried to identify linguistic dimensions associated with lexical components of social processes, affective processes, fear, and disgust. An exhaustive search of newspaper coverage of funeral and related articles was made for a specific corona period. After an initial screening for the details and language used, a total of 46 newspaper articles on funerals were finalized for the analysis. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software was used to determine the association between linguistic dimensions of function words and words related to social and affective processes, as presented in the newspaper articles. Sentiment Analysis and Cognition Engine (SEANCE) was applied for the analysis of sentiment, social cognition, and social order. Bayesian correlation analysis and regression revealed positive and significant associations between function words and affective processes, between pronouns and social processes, and between negative adjectives and psychological processes of fear and disgust. Also, significant negative associations were found between polarity nouns and psychological processes of fear and disgust and between polarity verbs and psychological processes of fear and disgust. Bayes factor 10 provides strong evidence in favor of the study hypotheses. The media is influenced by the prevailing sentiments in society and reflects their perception of the current social order and beliefs. The findings provide a glimpse into the prevailing sentiment of society through the lens of media coverage. These understandings are expected to enhance our observations of how people express their feelings over the loss of their loved ones and help mental health professionals develop their therapeutic protocols to treat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-affected population.
Stigma against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals is not a new phenomenon. There is strong evidence to show that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people experience stigma that results in several health-related issues. The present paper is a systematic review of studies published in the last 10 years that explores stigma and its associated health consequences among the LGBT population in India. A total of 50 studies were identified based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist and were analyzed to explore the existence of stigma and its impact on physical, mental, and sexual health among the Indian LGBT population and to identify intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that are responsible for the experience of stigma and its manifestation on health. The analysis revealed that LGBT people experience social rejection and structural disregard that led them to experience stigma and impact their physical, psychological, and sexual health. Lack of knowledge and sensitivity regarding this community, nonacceptance from family, partners or peers, and other society members are the interpersonal factors. Self-blame, low self-worth, guilt, identity confusion, and loneliness are some of the intrapersonal factors responsible for LGBT stigma.
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