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Professor Olga Zayts-Spence's Publications

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Books

  1. Fortune, Z., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2026). Thriving Workplaces: Bridging Mental Health Research and Practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003244752.

  2. Zayts-Spence, O., & Bridges, S. M. (2023). Language, health and culture: Problematizing the centers and peripheries of healthcare communication research. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003095866.

  3. Schnurr, S., & Zayts, O. (2017). Language and Culture at Work. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315541785.

Book Chapters

  1. Zayts, O., Sarangi, S., & Schnurr, S. (2026). The Management of Diagnostic Uncertainty and Decision-Making in Genetics Case Conferences. In S. Sarangi (Ed.), Teamwork and Team Talk: Decision-Making across the Boundaries in Health and Social Care. University of Toronto Press. https://utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/9781049800523

  2. Zayts-Spence, O. (2026). Transculturing in Healthcare Settings: The Case of Genetic Counselling in Hong Kong. In V. G. Sardegna, M. Lazzaro-Salazar, & P. L. Luchini (Eds.), (Mis)Understandings in Multicultural Communication: Implications for Second Language Classrooms and Professional Settings (pp. 55–72). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/9783032081438_4

  3. Shipman, H., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2023). The “mad consultant dealing with mad people”: A discursive historical approach to tensions regarding mental health stigma in Hong Kong. In O. Zayts-Spence & S. M. Bridges (Eds.), Language, Health and Culture: Problematizing the Centers and Peripheries of Healthcare Communication Research (pp. 119–137). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003095866-7

  4. Luo, Z., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2023). The discursive construction and negotiation of genetic knowledge in an online health forum in Mainland China. Language, Health and Culture: Problematizing the Centers and Peripheries of Healthcare Communication Research, 138–153. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003095866-8

  5. Zayts-Spence, O. (2023). Introduction. In O. Zayts-Spence & S. M. Bridges (Eds.), Language, Health and Culture: Problematizing the Centers and Peripheries of Healthcare Communication Research (pp. 1–19). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003095866-1

  6. Edmonds, D. M., Zayts-Spence, O., & Yuen, J. K. Y. (2023). Exploring end-of-life care in palliative care consultations in Hong Kong. In O. Zayts-Spence & S. M. Bridges (Eds.), Language, Health and Culture: Problematizing the Centers and Peripheries of Healthcare Communication Research (pp. 82–100). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003095866-5

  7. Edmonds, D. M., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2023). Conclusion: Advancing healthcare communication research in “Global Peripheries.” In O. Zayts-Spence & S. M. Bridges (Eds.), Language, Health and Culture: Problematizing the Centers and Peripheries of Healthcare Communication Research (pp. 173–192). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003095866-10

  8. Zayts, O., & Zhou, F. (2020). Politeness and relational work in novel digital contexts of healthcare communication. In K. Grainger & P. Jagodziński (Eds.), Politeness in Professional Contexts (pp. 107–126). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.311.05zay

  9. Zayts, O., & Lazzaro-Salazar, M. (2020). A sociolinguistic investigation of professional mobility and multicultural healthcare communication. In Z. Demjén (Ed.), Applying Linguistics in Illness and Healthcare Contexts (1st ed., pp. 295–320). Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350057685.0021

  10. Zayts, O., & Schnurr, S. (2017b). Laughter as a “serious business”: Clients’ laughter in prenatal screening for Down’s syndrome. In N. Bell (Ed.), Multiple Perspectives on Language Play (pp. 119–142). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501503993-006

  11. Schnurr, S., Chan, A., Loew, J., & Zayts, O. (2017). Leadership and Culture: When Stereotypes Meet Actual Workplace Practice. In C. Ilie & S. Schnurr (Eds.), Challenging Leadership Stereotypes through Discourse (pp. 95–117). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4319-2_5

  12. Zayts, O., & Schnurr, S. (2017a). Epistemic “Struggles”: When nurses’ expert identity is challenged by “knowledgeable” clients. In D. Van De Mieroop & S. Schnurr (Eds.), Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture (pp. 79–94). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.69.05zay

  13. Zayts, O. (2017). Genetic Counselling. In B. Vine (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Language in the Workplace (pp. 187–200). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315690001-17

  14. Zayts, O., & Pilnick, A. (2014). Genetic counselling in Multicultural and Multilingual Contexts. In N. Koteyko, K. Harvey, D. Hunt, & G. Brookes (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Language and Health Communication (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315856971-38

  15. Zayts, O., Yelei, V. W., & Schnurr, S. (2013). Chinese prenatal genetic counselling discourse in Hong Kong: Healthcare providers? (non)directive stance, or who is making the decision? In Chinese Discourse and Interaction (pp. 218–247). University of Toronto Press. https://doi.org/10.3138/9781845536329.011

  16. Pilnick, A., & Zayts, O. (2012). “Let’s have it Tested First”: Choice and Circumstances in Decision Making Following Positive Antenatal Screening in Hong Kong. In N. Armstrong & H. Eborall (Eds.), The Sociology of Medical Screening (pp. 105–120). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118234358.ch8

  17. Zayts, O., & Schnurr, S. (2012). “You may know better than I do”: Negotiating advice-giving in Down Syndrome screening in a Hong Kong prenatal hospital. In H. Limberg & M. A. Locher (Eds.), Advice in Discourse (pp. 195–212). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.221.12zay

  18. Schnurr, S., & Zayts, O. (2011). Be(com)ing a Leader: A Case Study of CoConstructing Professional Identities at Work. In J. Angouri & M. Marra (Eds.), Constructing Identities at Work (pp. 40–60). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230360051_3

  19. Zayts, O., Kang, A., & Zhang, W. (2009). 對產前遺傳輔導知情選擇過程的話語分析 [Pursuing informed choice in prenatal genetic counseling: a discourse analytic perspective]. In R. Ma (Ed.), 醫病溝通知多少 [How much do you know about doctor-patient communication?] (pp. 161–187). 靈蘭閣圖書國際公司 [Kai Education].

Journal Articles

  1. Zayts-Spence, O. (2026). “There wasn’t any proper sit-down talk about it”: Silence and salience in intergenerational discourse on menopause among Chinese women. Language and Health, 4(1), 100084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.laheal.2026.100084

  2. Zayts-Spence, O. A., Lazzaro-Salazar, M., & Edmonds, D. M. (2026). “I feel like most people seem to just go with the flow”: Menopause, stigma and Chinese culture. Social Science & Medicine, 401, 119314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119314

  3. Lazzaro-Salazar, M., Arenas, S., Mundaca, E. A., Saracini, C., Zayts, O., & Lucero, B. (2025). Perceptions of Nature in Cordillera and Urban Settings in Cultural Transitions of Colla Communities from Northern Chile. Sage Open, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251341066

  4. Zayts-Spence, O., Luk, P., & Edmonds, D. M. (2025). The impact and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health experiences of medical students in Hong Kong. BMC Medical Education, 25, 1739. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-08133-3

  5. Edmonds, D. M., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2024). “I’m not an anxious person”: end-of-life care workers constructing positive psychological states. BMC Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01885-5

  6. Edmonds, D. M., Zayts-Spence, O., Fortune, Z., Chan, A., & Chou, J. S. G. (2024). A scoping review to map the research on the mental health of students and graduates during their university-to-work transitions. BMJ Open, 14(3), e076729. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076729 

  7. Edmonds, D. M., Zayts-Spence, O., Nga, I., & Kwan, J. (2024). “They are not taking it seriously”: Constructing family dynamics in end-of-life care interactions in Hong Kong. Death Studies, 49(8), 1077–1089. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2024.2385383 

  8. Luo, Z., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2024). “Doing genetic literacy”: a discourse-oriented approach to literacy in genetic contexts. New Genetics and Society, 43(1), e2435832. https://doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2024.2435832

  9. Tse, V. W. S., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2024). “Yu haf no idr how feckin fablus I feel rite now”: “Wine mom” humour in an online support group for mothers during COVID-19. Discourse, Context & Media, 61, 100816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2024.100816 

  10. Wu, J. Z. Z., Zayts-Spence, O., & Fortune, Z. (2024). Conceptualizing mental health stigma in organizational settings: a sociolinguistic perspective. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 713. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02127-4 

  11. Edmonds, D., Zayts‐Spence, O., Fortune, Z., & Fung, J. S. Y. (2023). Graduates’ perceptions and employers’ expectations: Essential skills in Hong Kong workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Industry and Higher Education, 38(4), 385–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222231224087 

  12. Zayts-Spence, O., Edmonds, D., & Fortune, Z. (2023). Mental Health, Discourse and Stigma. BMC Psychology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01210-6

  13. Lazzaro-Salazar, M., & Zayts, O. (2023). Migrant doctors’ narratives about patients. Narrative Inquiry, 33(1), 153–175. https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.21038.laz 

  14. Ng, S., Reidy, H., Wong, P. W.-C., & Zayts-Spence, O. (2023). The relationship between personal and interpersonal mental health experiences and stigma-related outcomes in Hong Kong. BJPsych Open, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2023.39 

  15. Zayts, O., Edmonds, D. M., Kong, B. C. K., & Fortune, Z. (2023). Mental health of new and recent graduates during the university-to-work transition: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open, 13(4), e071357. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071357 

  16. Zayts-Spence, O. A., Tse, V. W. S., & Fortune, Z. (2023). “Feel like going crazy”: Mental health discourses in an online support group for mothers during COVID-19. Discourse & Society, 34(2), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/09579265221116302 

  17. Edmonds, D. M., Zayts-Spence, O., & Alder, K. (2022). Commentary: Communicating in crisis: Reflections, opportunities, and challenges for healthcare communication in the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative Health Communication, 1(2), 104–117. https://doi.org/10.7146/qhc.v1i2.128540

  18. Hui, A. L. C., Zayts‐Spence, O., & Chung, B. H. (2022). Elicitation of children’s understanding of information in pediatric genetic counseling encounters: A discourse‐oriented perspective. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 31(2), 534–545. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1523

  19. Zayts‐Spence, O., Fung, J. L. F., & Chung, B. H. Y. (2021). “Do language and culture really matter?”: A trans‐disciplinary investigation of cultural diversity in genetic counseling in Hong Kong. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30(1), 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1385

  20. Luo, Z., Zayts, O., & Shipman, H. (2020). “His story is truly vivid…”: The role of narratives of vicarious experience in commodification and marketisation of genetic testing in Chinese social media. Journal of Pragmatics, 155, 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.10.009

  21. Schnurr, S., Zayts, O., Schroeder, A., & Le Coyte‐Hopkins, C. (2020). “It’s not acceptable for the husband to stay at home”: Taking a discourse analytical approach to capture the gendering of work. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(3), 414–434. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12408

  22. Wong, H. M., Bridges, S. M., Ma, K. W., Yiu, C. K. Y., McGrath, C. P., & Zayts, O. A. (2020). Advanced informatics understanding of clinician-patient communication: A mixed-method approach to oral health literacy talk in interpreter-mediated pediatric dentistry. PLOS ONE, 15(3), e0230575. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230575

  23. Zayts, O. A., & Norrick, N. R. (2020). Narratives of Vicarious Experience in Professional and Workplace contexts: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Pragmatics, 155, 64–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.10.010

  24. Zayts, O., & Norrick, N. R. (2020). “Pragmatics is the Way of the Future”: An interview with Neal Norrick. Journal of Pragmatics, 156, 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.10.013 

  25. Pilnick, A., & Zayts, O. (2019). The power of suggestion: examining the impact of presence or absence of shared first language in the antenatal clinic. Sociology of Health & Illness, 41(6), 1120–1137. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12888

  26. Zayts, O., Shipman, H., Fung, J. L. ‐F., Liu, A. P. ‐Y., Kwok, S., Tsai, A. C. ‐H., Yung, T., & Chung, B. H. ‐Y. (2019). The different facets of “culture” in genetic counseling: A situated analysis of genetic counseling in Hong Kong. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics, 181(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31699

  27. Chan, A., Schnurr, S., & Zayts, O. (2018). Exploring face, identity and relationship management in disagreements in business meetings in Hong Kong. Journal of Politeness Research. Language, Behaviour, Culture, 14(2), 279–306. https://doi.org/10.1515/pr-2015-0036 

  28. Laurino, M. Y., Leppig, K. A., Abad, P. J., Cham, B., Chu, Y. W. Y., Kejriwal, S., Lee, J. M. H., Sternen, D. L., Thompson, J. K., Burgess, M. J., Chien, S., Elackatt, N., Lim, J. Y., Sura, T., Faradz, S., Padilla, C., Paz, E. C. de-la, Nauphar, D., Nguyen, K. N., & Zayts, O. (2018). A Report on Ten Asia Pacific Countries on Current Status and Future Directions of the Genetic Counseling Profession: The Establishment of the Professional Society of Genetic Counselors in Asia. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 27(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0115-6

  29. Wong, H. M., Bridges, S. M., McGrath, C. P., Yiu, C. K. Y., Zayts, O. A., & Au, T. K. F. (2017). Impact of Prominent Themes in Clinician-Patient Conversations on Caregiver’s Perceived Quality of Communication with Paediatric Dental Visits. PLOS ONE, 12(1), e0169059. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169059

  30. Zayts, O., & Luo, Z. (2017). Commodification and marketisation of genetic testing through online direct-to-consumer platforms in Hong Kong. Discourse & Communication, 11(6), 630–647. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481317726926 

  31. Zayts, O., Sarangi, S., & Schnurr, S. (2017). The management of diagnostic uncertainty and decision-making in genetics case conferences. Communication and Medicine, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1558/cam.18433

  32. Schnurr, S., Zayts, O., & Hopkins, C. (2016). Challenging hegemonic femininities? The discourse of trailing spouses in Hong Kong. Language in Society, 45(4), 533–555. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047404516000415 

  33. Bridges, S., Drew, P., Zayts, O., McGrath, C., Kar, C., Wong, H. M., & Au, T. K. (2015). Interpreter-mediated dentistry. Social Science & Medicine, 132, 197–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.03.018

  34. Chan, A., Zhang, W., Zayts, O., Yin Tang, M. H., & Tam, W. K. (2015). Directive-giving and grammatical forms. Chinese Language and Discourse, 6(2), 133–161. https://doi.org/10.1075/cld.6.2.02cha

  35. Pilnick, A., & Zayts, O. (2015). Advice, authority and autonomy in shared decision-making in antenatal screening: the importance of context. Sociology of Health & Illness, 38(3), 343–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12346

  36. Pilnick, A., & Zayts, O. (2014). “It’s Just a Likelihood”: Uncertainty as Topic and Resource in Conveying “Positive” Results in an Antenatal Screening Clinic. Symbolic Interaction, 37(2), 187–208. https://doi.org/10.1002/symb.99 

  37. Schnurr, S., Van De Mieroop, D., & Zayts, O. (2014). Positioning oneself in relation to larger collectivities in expatriates’ workplace narratives. Narrative Inquiry, 24(2), 386–407. https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.24.2.11sch

  38. Yau, A. H. Y., & Zayts, O. A. (2014). “I don’t want to see my children suffer after birth”: the “risk of knowing” talk and decision-aking in prenatal screening for Down’s syndrome in Hong Kong. Health, Risk & Society, 16(3), 259–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2014.913008

  39. Zayts, O., & Schnurr, S. (2014). More than “information provider” and “counselor”: Constructing and negotiating roles and identities of nurses in genetic counseling sessions. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 18(3), 345–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12083

  40. Kang, M. A., & Zayts, O. A. (2013). Interactional difficulties as a resource for patient participation in prenatal screening consultations in Hong Kong. Patient Education and Counseling, 92(1), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.01.008

  41. Schnurr, S., & Zayts, O. (2013). “I can’t remember them ever not doing whatI tell them!”: Negotiating face and power relations in “upward” refusals in multicultural workplaces in Hong Kong. Intercultural Pragmatics, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2013-0028 

  42. Zayts, O., & Sarangi, S. (2013). Modes of risk explanation in telephone consultations between nurses and parents for a genetic condition. Health, Risk & Society, 15(2), 194–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2013.764975 

  43. Zayts, O., Sarangi, S., Thong, M.-K., Chung, B. H., Lo, I. F., Kan, A. S., Lee, J. M.-H., Padilla, C. D., Cutiongco-de la Paz, E. M., Faradz, S. M. H., & Wasant, P. (2013). Genetic Counseling/Consultation in South-East Asia: A Report from the Workshop at the 10th Asia Pacific Conference on Human Genetics. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 22(6), 917–924. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-013-9646-7 

  44. Zayts, O., & Schnurr, S. (2013). “[She] said: ‘take the test’ and I took the test”. Relational work as a framework to approach directiveness in prenatal screening of Chinese clients in Hong Kong. Journal of Politeness Research. Language, Behaviour, Culture, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1515/pr-2013-0009 

  45. Schnurr, S., & Zayts, O. (2012). “you have to be adaptable, obviously”. constructing professional identities in multicultural workplaces in Hong Kong. Pragmatics. Quarterly Publication of the International Pragmatics Association (IPrA), 22(2), 279–300. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.22.2.05sch 

  46. Pilnick, A., & Zayts, O. (2011). “Let’s have it tested first”: choice and circumstances in decision-making following positive antenatal screening in Hong Kong. Sociology of Health & Illness, 34(2), 266–282. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01425.x

  47. Zayts, O., & Schnurr, S. (2011). Laughter as Medical Providers’ Resource: Negotiating Informed Choice in Prenatal Genetic Counseling. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 44(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/08351813.2011.544221 

  48. Kang, M. A., & Zayts, O. (2010). Patient participation within a globalised patient population: Interactional difficulties in a prenatal counseling context in Hong Kong. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 20(2), 169–184. https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.20.2.01kan 

  49. Zayts, O., & Kang, M. A. (2010). Communication in healthcare settings: Interactional perspectives from Asia. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 20(2), 165–168. https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.20.2.00int

  50. Zayts, O., & Kang, M. A. (2010). Information delivery in prenatal genetic counseling. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 20(2), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.20.2.05zay 

  51. Zayts, O., & Kang, M. A. (2009). “So, what test do you prefer?” Negotiating politic behaviour in an L2 prenatal genetic counselling setting in Hong Kong. Journal of Politeness Research. Language, Behaviour, Culture, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/jplr.2009.003 

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