Fear has long been recognised as a potent tool for persuasive communication. A plethora of research has examined the role of fear appeals in influencing the target audience. However, scant attention has been given to the choice of persuasive strategies used to craft fear messages, particularly in the public health domain. This study aims to bridge the gap in the literature by examining the prevalence of fear strategies and the interplay between persuasion and fear in an anti-smoking campaign, drawing on Aristotle’s persuasion theory and Fear Appeals by Witte and Allen (2000). Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, descriptive content analysis to examine how fear-based persuasive strategies are constructed in the CDC’s press releases. A qualitative analysis was conducted on a corpus of 27 press releases issued between 2012 and 2024 as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Tips From Former Smokers campaign. The analysis reveals five predominant fear strategies utilised by the CDC in their press releases: fear-induced narratives, health-hazard emphasis, statistics, expert endorsement, and urgency. These strategies enhance the CDC's message by amplifying fear appeals, thereby altering smokers' current behaviours and attitudes. This study contributes to the literature by providing insights into the strategies adopted in crafting fear appeals in anti-smoking campaigns and how fear patterns shape individuals’ behavioural change against smoking tobacco.

Children with language impairment (LI) experience increased mental health challenges, which may be reflected in the words they use to tell stories. We examined whether children with LI produced more emotionally negative narratives than typically developing (TD) children, and whether lower lexical diversity (a proxy for vocabulary size) was associated with more negativity. Language samples were analyzed from four corpora, totaling 1197 children, ages 3-15. In the two larger corpora, there was evidence for increased negativity in LI children compared to TD children. However, this increased negativity in LI children was not observed across all measures of emotional valence in the two larger corpora, nor was it observed in any measure in the two smaller corpora (and was in the opposite direction on one measure in one of the smaller corpora). There were many associations within both the LI and TD groups between lower lexical diversity and more negativity, indicating that children with smaller vocabularies produced narratives with elevated negativity, but these associations were generally small and sometimes absent or in the reverse direction. In sum, the negative emotions that are known to be experienced by children with weaker language abilities may manifest in their stories, but the results were inconclusive, and more research is needed. Implications for speech-language pathology and clinical psychology are discussed.

This study aims to offer a more nuanced examination of elderspeak, which most research on elderly care communication considers to have a negative effect on the dignity of older adults. To do this, we drew on data collected in two very different countries/cultures, France and China, in order to fill the gap in cultural diversity in elderspeak studies (existing work mainly concerns English) and to broaden the focus to include cultural and institutional contexts. Multimodal data analyzed in the current study include meal assistance, sensory workshops, and memory games. The diversity of communicative situations (daily care vs. social activities, informal vs. structured) makes it possible to identify the contextual elements that favor the use of elderspeak and the varied effects of the same communication strategy depending on the individuality of the residents. Preliminary findings suggest that certain elements of elderspeak, such as repetition and simplified phrasing, when adapted to residents’ cognitive capacity, can enhance comprehension and participation. Similarly, compliments, when sincere and proportionate, contribute positively to the construction of older people's social identity. Finally, the design of activities plays a decisive role in the use of elderspeak: in a task-oriented activity where the professional-resident power relationship is asymmetrical to the detriment of residents, communication is likely to be condescending, whereas an exchange on equal terms allows for better participation and self-expression on the part of residents. All these elements lead us to propose a new definition of elderspeak: rather than focusing on linguistic appearances which vary according to cultural contexts, we should focus on effects. This opens up new avenues for reflection in caregiver training. Proposing a guide to good practices is not a satisfactory solution; instead, professionals need interactional skills to adjust their communication style to the specific needs and abilities of residents.

This paper describes the grammatical complexity and sentence production in spontaneous speech among Spanish-speaking adults with Williams syndrome (WS). The goal is to provide a linguistic description of the typical sentence patterns used by Spanish speakers with WS. A sample of 30 spontaneous speech corpora (16 WS, 14 TD) was collected, transcribed and manually analyzed. The study identifies significant differences between the two groups, particularly in the complexity of syntactic constructions and the discourse production. Results show that WS speakers produce fewer words and significantly fewer complex sentences, such as those involving complementizers, pronominalized objects, or relative clauses. These findings align with prior research, suggesting deficits in working memory, syntactic production, and the manipulation of hierarchical grammatical rules among WS individuals. This study corroborates the notion that while WS individuals often display notable verbal strengths, these coexist with an atypical development of their syntactic capacity.

22q11.2 syndrome is the second most common genetic condition worldwide, where communication, language, and speech are significantly affected to varying degrees. This has generated considerable interest among professionals working with this population. The objective of this research is to review studies conducted in recent years concerning language delays and difficulties experienced by individuals with 22q11.2 syndrome. A total of 21 articles were analyzed, focusing on the development of oral language, written language, and overall communication, following the PRISMA Statement guidelines and COSMIN methodology. The results highlight that individuals with 22q11.2 syndrome present significant difficulties, particularly in speech, various areas of expressive language, and in the acquisition of reading and writing skills when compared to their typically developing peers across different developmental stages. Therefore, linguistic intervention should be considered a fundamental area of support throughout the lifespan of individuals with 22q11.2 syndrome.