Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities

Social Determinants of Health Inequalities—A Global Perspective Study

Goran Miladinov — 2025-10-29

Health inequalities persist among all countries in the world. These health inequalities are usually explained by health behaviors and social conditions in which people work and live. This paper aims to investigate the relative contribution of the social determinants to health inequalities in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. Data from these three groups of countries was obtained from the UN and World Bank platforms. The VARSEL combinatorial technique was used to measure health inequalities through its proxy variable life expectancy at birth and the contribution of social determinants across the three groups of countries. The magnitude of the impact of social determinants on health inequalities varied considerably between countries. While poverty issues and unemployment were found to contribute to the explanation of life expectancy inequalities in low-income countries, educational and unemployment determinants emerged as the leading causes of life expectancy inequalities across middle-income countries and immigration together with the working conditions were mostly contributing determinants for high-income countries. The observed effects of different social determinants on health inequalities across the world point out that tackling health inequality should be a task that goes beyond focusing on a single social determinant.

The Narrative Structure, Urban Loneliness, and Identity Study of Port of Call: A Shift in the Type of New Hong Kong Mystery Films

Bolin Sun — 2025-10-29

This paper takes Weng Ziguang’s work Port of Call as the research object, and comprehensively uses narrative and film sociology methods to systematically investigate the aesthetic and ideological connotations of the film in the aspects of “anti-suspense” and plate-based narrative, urban space representation and “loneliness” emotional generation, identity and social reflection, and genre film innovation. The article first defines the film’s chapter-like structure and subjective viewpoint system based on “looking for plums, lonely people, stepping on blood, and a room with a view of the scenery”, and points out that it shifts the audience’s attention from “the case” to “human feelings” through the anti-suspense strategy of “removing the mystery” at the beginning. Then, from the perspective of film sociology, it reveals the survival dilemma, viewing system and power relationship of urban marginalized people, and discusses the shaping mechanism of “identity loneliness”. In the genre research part, it is argued that Port of Call (《踏血寻梅》), Night and Fog (《天水围的雾与夜》) and The Sparring Partner (《正义回廊》) jointly promote the “New Hong Kong Strange Case Film” to complete the paradigm shift from sensory spectacle to humanistic reflection. Research shows that Port of Call connects individual ethics and social structure with cold realist brushstrokes, and achieves multiple breakthroughs in narrative, image and value in genre renewal.

Causes and Countermeasures of Demonization of Teachers’ Media Image

Xinpeng Hu — 2025-11-10

In today’s media-dominated era, any individual’s words or actions can be amplified and rapidly spread, potentially causing negative impacts. In recent years, the demonization of teachers in media coverage has become increasingly prominent. This phenomenon not only affects teachers’ mental health and teaching motivation but also creates obstacles to effective instruction. Drawing from the Bellamy’s Law framework, this paper analyzes the root causes of this issue through three dimensions: problematic teachers as the source, media amplification, and societal stereotypes. It proposes practical strategies to improve teachers’ media image.

Sadness and Healing: A Study on the Cultural Psychology and Audience Reception of the “BE Aesthetic” in East Asian Romance Films

Heng Zhang — 2025-11-11

This study examines the aesthetic phenomenon of the “Bad Ending” (BE) in East Asian romance cinema. Departing from Hollywood’s conventional “happy-ending” paradigm, East Asian BE romances elicit powerful emotional resonance and aesthetic pleasure by thematizing regret, loss, and sacrifice. Adopting a cross-cultural perspective, the research integrates Western tragic aesthetics with East Asian cultural-psychological traditions—mono no aware and yūgen in Japan, han in Korea, and Confucian collectivism in China. Through close textual analyses of representative films (Christmas in August [1998], The Classic [2003], Love Letter [1995], Crying Out Love in the Center of the World [2004], Hello, Zhihua [2019], Comrades: Almost a Love Story [1996]), this study elucidates how BE aesthetics materialize via narrative strategies of time and memory, illness and death, and resistance to social structures and fate. Incorporating audience-reception theory, it further explains why contemporary youth discover “healing” within “sorrow,” arguing that BE delivers cathartic purification, safe experiential extremity through aesthetic distance, realistic identification with imperfection, and collective consolation via the culture of Yi Nan Ping (意难平). It concludes that the East Asian BE-aesthetic romance film synthesizes traditional cultural psychology with contemporary audience sensibilities, reflecting not only an aesthetic trend but also the distinctive emotional logic of modern East Asian societies.

What Is Peace and Where Does It Begin

B. Suresh Lal — 2025-11-12

Peace is defined as a state of harmony that requires both the absence of conflict and the presence of justice, equity, and dignity. Peacebuilding, a term often used in the context of conflict resolution and international relations, involves establishing social, political, and economic conditions for sustained peace. It encompasses elements such as governance, economic equity, and social reconciliation. Peacebuilding is a continuous societal process that starts at home, where ethical values, communication, and emotional understanding are nurtured. Factors influencing peace at home include emotional stability, effective communication, and fairness, while challenges arise from stress, economic pressures, and social inequalities. Strengthening peace at home involves promoting understanding, gender equality, peace education, and addressing systemic issues such as poverty and discrimination. Ultimately, peace originates from homes, with families fostering values that contribute to broader societal and world peace.

The Impact of Social and Emotional Learning on Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Yingying Chen — 2025-11-17

Emotional and behavioral problems significantly impact children’s mental health development. The application of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in intervening in children’s emotional and behavioral problems is receiving increasing attention. This study conducted an 8-session SEL intervention over 4 weeks (twice weekly) with three children exhibiting emotional and behavioral problems. The Rutter Child Behavior Scale (Parent Version) and the Social Responsiveness Scale were used to measure the intervention’s effectiveness on children’s emotional and behavioral problems. Analysis results indicated that the overall intervention effect was not significant, but it had a certain degree of improving effect on children’s emotional and behavioral problems, such as reduced aggressive behavior and enhanced emotion regulation ability.