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Ricerche di Psicologia/Psychological Research Journal - Open Access

Articoli

No. 3 (2022)

Storie di rinascita: The experience of progetto Itaca. Sentiment and Topic Analysis on a sample of narratives of people with mental health disorders

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/rip2022oa15309
Submitted
gennaio 25, 2023
Published
2023-02-01

Abstract

Club Itaca is a service offered by Progetto Itaca Onlus, based on the Clubhouse model of psychiatric psychosocial rehabilitation for people suffering from mental health disorders. “Storie di Rinascita” (“Story of Rebirth”), an intervention aimed at helping people to gain awareness and accept their condition progressing the recovery path, was born from the collaboration between Progetto Itaca and Atstrat. Objective. The objective of the present study is to investigate the emotional expression used in the narratives of Storie di Rinascita and to identify the elements of recovery reported by people with mental illness. Methods. 62 narratives were analyzed using Sentiment Analysis and Topic Analysis. Results. Sentiment analysis highlights a higher average intensity of negatively polarized words in the past (μ = 1.71 ± 1.28) than in the present (μ = 1.56 ± 0.93); instead, there is an increase in the positive global intensity from past (μ = 1.29 ± 0.71) to the present (μ = 1.34 ± 0.80). Regarding emotion, the words relating to anger, disgust, fear and sadness are less intense in the present (respectively μ = 1.63 ± 1.06; μ = 1.40 ± 0.49; μ = 1.53 ± 0.94; μ = 1.76 ± 1.25), than in the past (respectively μ = 1.31 ± 0.63; μ = 1.12 ± 0.32; μ = 1.42 ± 0.63; μ = 1.47 ± 0.79). The average intensity of joy, surprise and trust are similar in the two types of narratives. The Topic Analysis highlighted the following three topics relating to the factors of rebirth: 1) the Ithaca Club, 2) the Social Network and 3) Personal Factors. Discussion and conclusion. The use of less negative and more positive emotional words when expressing themselves in the present than when they talk about their past allows us to hypothesize an improvement in the condition of people with mental health disorders and a positive elaboration of the difficult experiences experienced in the past. These changes might be fostered by Club Itaca, the support of the social network and by one's personal skills. Storie di Rinascita is a useful tool to promote the acceptance of the disease and make people aware of their progress.

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