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This paper evaluates the use of self-curated photo elicitation as a new method for exploring self-identity by reflecting on its design and use in a study of Scottish identity. The approach builds on the work of others in the fields of visual analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Participants were style influencers who were asked to select and discuss a sample of their own Instagram posts that they felt represented their Scottish identity. The approach enabled deep and meaningful engagement with research participants and encouraged further revelations through asking them to reflect on how they went about choosing their posts. Participants spoke passionately and at length about the story behind these and began to understand more about themselves in doing so. Recommendations are made as to how self-curated photo elicitation could be used in future. It is proposed that this method is particularly adaptable to IPA research and studies of self-identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mellow Futures programme is a specially adapted parenting programme for mothers with learning difficulties that combines group work with home‐based support. This paper reports on the findings of prospective and retrospective interviews with professionals who had referred mothers to the programme in England or Scotland between 2013 and 2015. The aim was to explore their perceptions of the programme as a whole, and its impact on the mothers they had referred to it. Mothers attending the Mellow Futures programme were invited to consent for a key professional to be contacted as part of the evaluation, generally those social workers who had referred the mothers to the programme. The 'referrers' were interviewed at the start and end of the programme. Thirty referrers contributed their views on the impact of the programme. Twenty‐six were very positive about the impact of the Mellow Futures programme on the mothers: the programme was thought to have increased the mothers' confidence and self‐esteem; supported them to work through issues; and helped them strengthen their relationship‐building skills. Four referrers felt that the programme had not had any impact on the mothers they were supporting. The Mellow Futures programme focused on relationships, rather than parenting techniques, and three fundamentally important relationships in the mothers and babies' lives were targeted: the relationship/attachment between mother and baby; the supportive, ongoing relationships between the mothers in the group; and the mothers' more positive engagement with the professionals concerned with the welfare of their baby. The research confirms that, from the perspectives of referrers, linking group and home‐based support can successfully help mothers with learning difficulties to care for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehensive analysis of social identity cannot simply focus on individuals' cognitive self‐definition. Rather it should also theorize the social conditions that affect individuals' opportunities to act in terms of those self‐definitions. We argue that the social distancing interventions associated with Covid‐19 provide an opportunity to explore the significance of otherwise taken‐for‐granted social factors which routinely support and sustain individuals' identity enactments. Using qualitative data gathered with 20 members of the Scottish Muslim community (19 diary entries and 20 post‐diary interviews), we explore their experiences of restricted access to community‐relevant social spaces (e.g., mosques and prayer rooms). Our analysis shows that while these regulations could result in new opportunities for Muslims' religious identity enactments, they also impeded their abilities to act in terms of their religious identification. Addressing such impediments, we develop our understanding of the contextual factors that shape individuals' abilities to enact identity‐defining norms and values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores children's understanding of the role that neighbourhood plays in their health and well-being. Whilst evidence exists on the relationship between the environment and children's health, we have little knowledge of this from the perspective of children themselves. Children's experiences are all too frequently researched through the eyes of adults. Following a Rights of the Child framework, respecting children's views and giving them due weight, this paper reports from a project that worked with children from two relatively deprived urban neighbourhoods in Scotland. Using this framework, the children themselves were the researchers who designed the themes, decided upon the methods, conducted the research and analysed the resulting data. Using focus groups, visual mapping and community walks the children explored their local neighbourhoods and the findings reveal features of the environment that the children perceive as important for their health and well-being. The children selected three themes to explore in the research: safety, littering, and family and friends, through which they elicit their experiences, feelings and attitudes towards the environment and their well-being. The paper reveals that not only do the children have a deep understanding of the link between environment and health, but that they also understand how aspects of disadvantage, including place-based stigma, can limit their social participation and inclusion in society. We conclude with recommendations made by the children themselves, ranging from access to affordable activities, improved open spaces, 'support not stigma' and the need to be heard in local decision making. • Children understand the relationship between neighbourhoods and health. • Three key themes were highlighted: safety, littering and family and friends. • Place-based stigma and exclusion may limit children's social participation. • The 'in place' experiences of children are important for health research. • Children can play a role in creating places to improve their health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the tensions experienced by millennials between their desire to purchase fast‐fashion and their growing concern for sustainability. The ethical and sustainable consumption literature has long recognised this misalignment of value, often referred to as an attitude‐behaviour gap. While previous research has explored the reasons behind the attitude‐behaviour gap and the rationales constructed by consumers to alleviate any associated tensions between mismatched values, this has not been framed within Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, particularly for fashion acquisition. This seems somewhat remiss, especially given that Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dissonance has been successfully applied in other consumption contexts and has offered commercial and social marketing opportunities for marketing activity development. The research utilises Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dissonance on qualitative data collected from 38 millennial participants living in Scotland. Adopting an interpretive approach, a semi‐structured interview template was administered online and data were analysed thematically, revealing that an infusion of eco‐fashion awareness was filtering into millennials' consciousness. While the millennials reported feelings of cognitive dissonance when purchasing fast‐fashion such as 'irritation' and 'guilt', unlike previous research, here they did not attempt to justify their behaviour in order to resolve their feelings of dissonance. Rather, the participants perceived this as an opportunity to reaffirm their preferences for sustainability for future consumption practice. Limitations include the small sample; nevertheless, the data contribute to the overall understanding of millennial eco‐fashion consumption, the attitude‐behaviour gap and the occurrence and resolutions of cognitive dissonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has highlighted the significance of the family and community in minority language revitalisation, whilst raising concern for efforts solely focused at the school level. This article draws upon research with children in Gaelic Medium Education, in Scotland, to explore their experiences and perceptions of their language use. The findings illustrate the dominance of English language across multiple aspects of children's lives and highlight the opportunities/threats of recent revitalisation efforts to push the bilingual benefits of language learning. The findings suggest the need for a more considered approach, such as translanguaging pedagogies, in order to effectively revitalise Gaelic language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores a hitherto unsuspected intellectual relationship among three important thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment. The great philosopher and economist Adam Smith is known to have had a conception of instrumental music exceptional for his time in its foreshadowing of ideas generally associated with Eduard Hanslick. As I show here, Smith's views were decisively influenced by the psychological theories of his countryman Thomas Reid in all likelihood by way of the extraordinary proto-cognitivist music theory of their contemporary John Holden, in particular the latter's conceptualization of the faculty of attention. The innovative contributions of these writers constitute a compact and suggestive case study in the circulation of ideas about perception and listening between philosophy and music, and suggest that the Scottish Enlightenment attitude to psychology enabled a new kind of theorizing about the musical experience: one that foregrounded the importance of the faculty of attention in the process of perceiving music and sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A comprehensive smokefree prison policy (SFPP) was introduced in Scottish prisons from November 2018, reflecting concern about inequalities in occupational exposures to second-hand smoke (SHS) and tobacco-related harms among people in custody (PiC). We aimed to address a gap, whereby few studies have sought to understand SFPP from the perspectives of people living and working in prisons. Methods As part of a comprehensive evaluation, focus groups and interviews with staff (n = 99) and interviews with PiC (n = 23) were conducted 6–9 months post-implementation of SFPP in Scotland. Data were analysed using the framework approach. Results Our study found that new restrictions on smoking had been widely accepted by PiC, after a period of adjustment which was less troublesome than participants had anticipated. Benefits of the SFPP for the safety and comfort of staff and PiC who were no longer exposed to SHS, and additionally for the health of PiC who were now smoking-abstinent, were widely acknowledged. Drawbacks of the SFPP, such as difficulties managing without tobacco and use of alternatives (e.g. e-cigarettes and changes in use of illegal drugs), were also reported. Contraband tobacco was not reported to be a major problem following prisons becoming smokefree. Conclusions The findings strengthen evidence that SFPPs can be implemented without causing major disruption and highlight the need for removal of tobacco to be underpinned by careful planning, partnership working and ensuring the availability of support for smokers. Experiences from Scotland may be of interest and some comfort, internationally for jurisdictions considering smoke-free rules in prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the link between populism and governance arrangements. Adopting a comparative approach between the West Midlands and Scotland, it utilises novel primary qualitative data alongside official results and demographic statistics. Paying particular attention to the perspectives of remain-voters in "left behind" areas and how they perceive their Leave-voting counterparts, the article finds that despite divergent voting patterns both groups perceived a problematic lack of (regional) political agency. Economic disparities and subnational governance arrangements appear important in explaining discontent in those parts of the UK that have been "left behind" by globalisation. Meaningful devolution will be key in addressing these grievances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been written over the past thirty years within the international social work literature on Family Group Conferencing as a process of decision making. Yet, the theories that frame our understanding of how Family Group Conferencing contributes towards family outcomes are less distinct. This article makes an original contribution to this literature by proposing the use of recognition theory as a beneficial lens for understanding the Family Group Conferencing process. The recognition theory contends that social relations acknowledge and validate personal existence and are pivotal to identify formation; a just society is therefore one where everyone gets due recognition. A retrospective qualitative study will be used to exemplify how Family Group Conferencing can create the conditions within which participants can experience different forms of recognition: care; respect; solidarity and, as such, experience a level of social justice (or not). It is argued that recognition within the Family Group Conferencing process can influence the identity and relationships of those involved in social work services. This article has significance beyond those with an interest in Family Group Conferencing as the recognition theory can shed light on the nature of relationships in social work practice more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The introduction of screening in the UK and other high‐income countries led to a significant decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer and increase in survival rates. Minority ethnic groups are often underrepresented in screening participation for reasons that are poorly understood. Objective: To explore experiences of cervical screening participation and non‐participation of women from minority ethnic populations in Scotland and gain insights to support the development of interventions that could potentially support screening participation and thereby reduce inequalities. Design: Qualitative comparison group study using in‐depth, semi‐structured individual interviews that were thematically analysed. Setting and participants: This study took place in Scotland. Fifty women were purposively sampled from four ethnic minority groups: South Asian; East European; Chinese; and Black African or Caribbean. White Scottish women were also interviewed. Results: Many experiences described were common regardless of ethnicity, such as difficulties managing competing priorities, including work and care responsibilities. However, important differences existed across the groups. These included going abroad for more frequent screening, delayed introduction to screening and not accessing primary care services, language difficulties in health‐care settings despite proficiency in English and not being sexually active at screening commencement. Experiences of racism, ignorance and feeling shamed were also reported. Conclusions: Key differences exist in the experience of minority ethnic groups in Scotland. These offer potential opportunities to reduce disparity and support screening participation including maximizing co‐incidental interactions and developing outreach work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]