A Linguistic Analysis of Suicide-Related Twitter Posts

Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 319-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridianne O'Dea ◽  
Mark E. Larsen ◽  
Philip J. Batterham ◽  
Alison L. Calear ◽  
Helen Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
First Person ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Online Risk ◽  
Twitter Data ◽  
Social Media Site ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry

Abstract. Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Identifying those at risk and delivering timely interventions is challenging. Social media site Twitter is used to express suicidality. Automated linguistic analysis of suicide-related posts may help to differentiate those who require support or intervention from those who do not. Aims: This study aims to characterize the linguistic profiles of suicide-related Twitter posts. Method: Using a dataset of suicide-related Twitter posts previously coded for suicide risk by experts, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) and regression analyses were conducted to determine differences in linguistic profiles. Results: When compared with matched non-suicide-related Twitter posts, strongly concerning suicide-related posts were characterized by a higher word count, increased use of first-person pronouns, and more references to death. When compared with safe-to-ignore suicide-related posts, strongly concerning suicide-related posts were characterized by increased use of first-person pronouns, greater anger, and increased focus on the present. Other differences were found. Limitations: The predictive validity of the identified features needs further testing before these results can be used for interventional purposes. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that strongly concerning suicide-related Twitter posts have unique linguistic profiles. The examination of Twitter data for the presence of such features may help to validate online risk assessments and determine those in need of further support or intervention.

Writing About the Silence: Identifying the Language of Ostracism

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 751-763
Author(s):  
Fabian Klauke ◽  
Lena C. Müller-Frommeyer ◽  
Simone Kauffeld
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
First Person ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Person Plural ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry ◽  
First Person Plural ◽  
N 93

Autobiographical reports of episodes of ostracism and social inclusion were analyzed in two separate samples (German N = 93; English N = 243) using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. Recalling ostracism was associated with the use of more first-person singular pronouns, fewer first-person plural pronouns, and more complex language. These findings could reflect ostracism inducing a self-focus and putting high cognitive load on its targets. This study provides a first step to establish linguistic analysis as a tool for the research of social exclusion.

No Space for Others? On the Increase of Students’ Self-Focus When Prodded to Think About Many Others

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 698-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens H. Hellmann ◽  
Marijke Hannah Adelt ◽  
Regina Jucks
Keyword(s):  
Present Experiment ◽  
First Person ◽  
Student Life ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry

In the present experiment, participants read about the presence of many versus few others in typical student-life situations. They subsequently wrote an essay about their perspectives on learning in groups. Using the program Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to analyze these essays signified that participants who read prompts that involved many (vs. few) other students used more first-person singular pronouns and fewer words related to others. We interpret this increase in self-focus as a consequence of induced social crowding.

scholarly journals The impact of perinatal loss in maternity units: A psycholinguistic analysis of health professionals’ reactions

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 640-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Gandino ◽  
Giulia Di Fini ◽  
Antonella Bernaudo ◽  
Marcello Paltrinieri ◽  
Marco Castiglioni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Perinatal Loss ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Future Tense ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry ◽  
The Impact

Perinatal loss has a strong emotional impact on health professionals working in maternity units. We aimed to study the impact of this experience on health professionals’ language. We analyzed the answers of 162 health professionals (physicians and non-medical staff) who described their reactions to perinatal loss. A linguistic analysis was performed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software. Associations between language and burnout were studied. Words typical of a psychological shock reaction were used more by non-medical staff than by physicians. Participants who used pronouns, optimistic words, future tense verbs, and cognitive words registered lower levels of burnout. Clinical implications of the results are discussed.

Suicidal Traits in Marilyn Monroe’s Fragments

Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fernández-Cabana ◽  
A. García-Caballero ◽  
M. T. Alves-Pérez ◽  
M. J. García-García ◽  
R. Mateos
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
First Person ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Emotion Words ◽  
Spearman’S Rank Correlation ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry ◽  
Linguistic Categories

Background: Linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC), a computerized method for text analysis, is often used to examine suicide writings in order to characterize the quantitative linguistic features of suicidal texts. Aims: To analyze texts compiled in Marilyn Monroe’s Fragments using LIWC, in order to explore the use of different linguistic categories in her narrative over the years. Method: Selected texts were grouped into four periods of similar word count and processed with LIWC. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess changes in language use across the documents over time. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare means between periods and for each of the 80 LIWC output scores. Results: Significant differences (p < .05) were found in 11 categories, the most relevant being a progressive decrease in the use of negative emotion words, a reduction in the use of long words in the third period, and an increase in the proportion of personal pronouns used as Monroe approached the time of her death. Conclusions: The consistently elevated usage of first-person personal singular pronouns and the consistently diminished usage of first-person personal plural pronouns are in line with previous studies linking this pattern with a low level of social integration, which has been related to suicide according to different theories.

The Effects of Social Environment on Pronouns as a Measure of Self-Awareness

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Persall
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Focus Of Attention ◽  
The Self ◽  
First Person ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Group Setting ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry

By analyzing the types of words used in people’s writing, we can make inferences about the different psychological states individuals may be in. According to previous research, the types of pronouns people express in their language can give information about their focus of attention. Greater use of first person singular pronouns is indicative of higher levels of self-awareness. People's focus of attention can be shifted towards the self by placing a mirror in front of them, or shifted to others by having other people present. This study manipulated levels of self-awareness in individuals, and then measured the pronoun usage in their writing using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC2007). The results showed that the mirror condition displayed a significantly higher frequency of first person pronouns compared to the group condition. These results indicate that an individual setting with a mirror increases self-awareness, and that a group setting with no mirror reduces self-awareness. Researching self-awareness is important because it is a basic trait in humans, and a lack of, or excessive levels of self-awareness may indicate psychological problems, thus it can be applied to the study of mental disorders such as depression and mania.

scholarly journals Linguistic Markers of Grandiose Narcissism: A LIWC Analysis of 15 Samples

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 773-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Holtzman ◽  
Allison M. Tackman ◽  
Angela L. Carey ◽  
Melanie S. Brucks ◽  
Albrecht C. P. Küfner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
First Person ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Grandiose Narcissism ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Linguistic Markers ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry

Narcissism is unrelated to using first-person singular pronouns. Whether narcissism is linked to other language use remains unclear. We aimed to identify linguistic markers of narcissism. We applied the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to texts ( k = 15; N = 4,941). The strongest positive correlates were using words related to sports, second-person pronouns, and swear words. The strongest negative correlates were using anxiety/fear words, tentative words, and words related to sensory/perceptual processes. Effects were small (each | r| < .10).

scholarly journals Linguistic Markers of Narcissism: An Exploratory LIWC Analysis of 15 Samples

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Holtzman ◽  
Allison Mary Tackman ◽  
Albrecht Kuefner ◽  
Fenne große Deters ◽  
Mitja Back ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
First Person ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Linguistic Markers ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry

Narcissism is unrelated to using first-person singular pronouns. Whether narcissism is linked to other language use remains unclear. We aimed to identify linguistic markers of narcissism. We applied the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to texts (k = 15; N = 4,941). The strongest positive correlates were: using words related to sports, second-person pronouns, and swear words. The strongest negative correlates were: using anxiety/fear words, tentative words, and words related to sensory/perceptual processes. Effects were small (each |r| &lt; .10).

scholarly journals Detecting associations between dietary supplement intake and sentiments within mental disorder tweets

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 803-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yefeng Wang ◽  
Yunpeng Zhao ◽  
Jianqiu Zhang ◽  
Jiang Bian ◽  
Rui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Twitter Data ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry ◽  
Twitter Users ◽  
Supplement Intake

Many patients with mental disorders take dietary supplement, but their use patterns remain unclear. In this study, we developed a method to detect signals of associations between dietary supplement intake and mental disorder in Twitter data. We developed an annotated dataset and trained a convolutional neural network classifier that can identify language use pattern of dietary supplement intake with an F1-score of 0.899, a precision of 0.900, and a recall of 0.900. Using the classifier, we discovered that melatonin and vitamin D were the most commonly used supplements among Twitter users who self-diagnosed mental disorders. Sentiment analysis using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count has shown that among Twitter users who posted mental disorder self-diagnosis, users who indicated supplement intake are more active and express more negative emotions and fewer positive emotions than those who have not mentioned supplement intake.

scholarly journals Linguistic Analysis of Statements Concerning Paintings Viewed Under Different Instructions by Experts and Novices in the Visual Arts

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 357-379
Author(s):  
Piotr Jan Francuz ◽  
Anna Szymańska ◽  
Marcin Wojtasiński
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Visual Arts ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry Word Count ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry ◽  
Points Of View

Abstract This research aimed to perform linguistic analysis of the statements of experts and novices in the arts concerning figurative paintings from the 16th to 19th century of different aesthetic value under different instructions. The experts were selected based on a formal criterion of education in visual arts. Based on previous research, the paintings were divided into three groups: beautiful, not beautiful and controversial. The participants viewed them from different points of view defined by seven instructions. The Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) was used to measure the connotation of statements in emotional and cognitive terms. Hypotheses, according to which the statements of novices are marked more with emotional, and those of experts more with cognitive processes, were only partially confirmed. It turned out that the emotional or cognitive connotation of statements concerning paintings is mostly modified by the point from which they are viewed and their aesthetic value.

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