Characters with mental health challenges in Anglophone TV series and Chinese audiences

Li, Xin (2026) Characters with mental health challenges in Anglophone TV series and Chinese audiences. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

In this thesis, I discuss the portrayals of characters with mental health challenges in Anglophone television dramas and Chinese audiences' engagement with these characters. Combining television analyses and audience research, I employed a variety of methods for character and audience analysis, including textual analysis, online questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. For television studies, this research validates and expands upon the existing academic perspective by proposing that attachment theory, a psychological framework that explains how early relationships with caregivers shape emotional and relational patterns throughout life, and trauma narratives have been used as a type or paradigm to describe characters with mental health challenges, and I further propose a positive paradigm shift regarding the characterisation of 'madness and genius'. To address the research gap in audience reception, I examine the interpretations, gratifications, and emotional engagement of Chinese audiences with characters with mental health challenges in Anglophone TV series. In the area of cross-cultural research, I demonstrate the cultural influences on Chinese audiences' reception, revealing the complex interactions between representation, interpretation and identity across cultural boundaries.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Goode, Dr. Ian and Garwood, Professor Ian
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-86153
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 28 Jul 2026 10:46
• Last Modified: 28 Jul 2026 10:57
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.86153
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/86153