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While much research has been conducted on the antecedents and outcomes of activism, relatively lesser attention has been paid within social and political psychological research to the understandings of people themselves about their involvement in activism or the ways in which they conceptualise social change. Informed by social representations theory, we conducted interviews with UK peace activists, to examine how they made sense of social change dynamics in the context of their activism, and how the beliefs, opinions, and perceptions of other people (meta-representations) were implicated in these understandings. Three themes were developed using reflexive thematic analysis: (1) imagining and enacting an alternative; (2) impression management; and (3) re fining the argument. Participants consistently oriented towards meta-representations of militarism in their activism, which was were consequential both for the ways in which activists communicated with and presented themselves to the public. This reflexive orientation was described as a barrier to social change but also a potential source of strength. Findings are discussed in relation to previous theoretical and empirical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People across the world have responded to the pandemic by mobilizing and organizing to support their communities, setting up mutual aid groups to provide practical, financial, and social support. Mutual aid means short‐term 'crisis response' for some, while for other groups, it is a chance to radically restructure society, and what it means to be a member of that society. Drawing on social representations theory and previous work on citizenship in social and political psychology, we examined the ways in which mutual aid was understood and performed by members of UK Covid‐19 mutual aid groups. We conducted 29 interviews with members of these groups in May/June 2020. A reflexive thematic analysis showed that mutual aid groups were characterized as complex, efficient, and non‐hierarchical units, operating on the principles of solidarity, kindness, and trust. Two tensions were evident in the data, specifically between (1) collaboration with existing organizations and structures (e.g., local government and the police), and resistance to it and (2) maximizing group inclusivity and sustaining political critique. Findings are discussed in relation to existing theoretical and empirical work on citizenship and mutual aid groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition and representation of BAME community as 'high risk' of Covid-19 in the UK presents both a health and an identity threat to this ethnic group. This study employed thematic analysis to explore response to these threats as related by a sample of 13 middle class members of the South Asian community. This work advances both health and identity psychological theory by recognising the affinity between expressions of health efficacy and identity. Our findings identify South Asian intragroup stigmatisation and commonalities that have implications for the promotion of health behaviour and health communications for minority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutual aid groups developed and mobilized in communities across the UK and globally at the outset of the pandemic in order to support vulnerable community members with practical assistance and emotional support, with some understanding their work in political terms. This study adopted a "social cure" lens to investigate the effects of group identification and group perceptions on anxiety and coping self‐efficacy among members of UK Covid‐19 mutual aid groups. Survey data were collected from self‐identified members of these groups (N = 844) during the initial period of "lockdown" restrictions in April – May 2020. Correlational analyses showed that identification with the mutual aid group was linked to more positive group perceptions and better self‐reported psychological outcomes. Perceived group politicization showed the reverse pattern. Mixed support for the "social cure" model was evident; the effect of group identification on coping self‐efficacy (but not anxiety) was serially mediated by perceived support and collective efficacy. Perceived group politicization was a significant moderator, seeming to amplify the indirect effect of group identification on coping self‐efficacy via perceived support. Results are discussed in light of previous empirical work on the social cure and Covid‐19 mutual aid groups. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some older people and their families, live-in care offers a way of continuing to live independently at home in their local community. While research in the care industry has consistently highlighted the effects of caring on workers, little research has specifically explored the experiences of live-in carers. The current study examines the ways in which live-in carers construct their role, the different challenges they face and the strategies they use to mitigate them. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 21 live-in carers in the United Kingdom and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that carers perceive their role as complex and characterised by a heavy workload and tiredness. Participants emphasised the variability which was introduced to the role as a function of the quality of agency support, the character and condition of the client, and the carer's relationships with the client's family. Participants' accounts reflected an acknowledgement of the need to orient and respond constantly to the needs and routine of the client. While this orientation was recognised as necessary for effectively fulfilling the demands of the role, it was also linked to feelings of dislocation and loss of identity. Drawing on understandings of personal and social identity, the implications of these findings for the psychological wellbeing of live-in carers and organisational support are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extending research on US ideological identity as a social identity, this study employs a social representations approach to capture identity meaning as a form of national attachment. Across two studies (n = 723), we demonstrate that two novel organizing principles of US ideological identity—national reverence (veneration of the nation in the abstract, its symbols, sacred texts, and founding fathers) and individual support (a focus on the progress of individuals and the change required to bring about equality)—significantly predicted ideological self‐categorization, 2016 presidential voting, and affective political polarization over and above right‐wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation. The results suggest an integration of national and conservative identities that places US national identity in opposition to liberal identity and to progress and equality, pointing to the divisive employment of national identity in the current political environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of billions of people worldwide. Individuals and groups were compelled to construct theories of common sense about the disease to communicate and guide practices. The theory of social representations provides powerful concepts to analyse the psychosocial construction of COVID-19. This study aimed to understand the social representations of COVID-19 constructed by middle-class Brazilian adults and their ideological implications, providing a social-psychological analysis of these phenomena while the pandemic is still ongoing. We adopted a qualitative approach based on semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted online in April-May 2020. Participants were 13 middle-class Brazilians living in urban areas. We analysed the interviews with thematic analysis and a phenomenological approach. The social representations were organised around three themes: 1) a virus originated in human actions and with anthropocentric meanings (e.g., a punishment for the human-led destruction of the environment); 2) a dramatic disease that attacks the lungs and kills people perceived to have "low immunity"; and 3) a disturbing pandemic that was also conceived as a correction event with positive consequences. The social representations included beliefs about the individualistic determination of immunity, the attribution of divine causes to the pandemic, and the need for the moral reformation of humankind. The discussion highlights the ideological implications of these theories of common sense. Socially underprivileged groups are at greater COVID-19-related risk, which the investigated social representations may contribute to conceal and naturalise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, appeared to have put an end to the political violence between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. However, although violence has been reduced after the Good Friday Agreement, the conflict between the two groups, which has deep historical roots, is more likely to be considered a continuous problem on the island. In the Brexit climate where the contested rhetoric of 'sovereignty' is salient, the integrationist process of the GFA may reverse into re-segregation and ancient enmities between denominational groups. Therefore, using both psychological and historical analyses, this article discusses how Brexit affects national identity dynamics in post-conflict Northern Ireland from a political psychological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modular synthesis of selectively-substituted pyrrolo[2,1- b]thiazoles (Δ isomeric form) has been implemented, involving a distinctive bicyclization reaction of a mucobromic acid derivative followed by a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling. A novel process of Δ to Δ isomerization of the pyrrolothiazole structure was uncovered that appears to involve a 1,4-addition-1,2-elimination mechanism. Preparation of 1,5-dihydropyrrol-2-one structures, selectively substituted at the 3- and 4-positions, was also achieved using the mucobromic acid synthon in a reductive amination process. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome, temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) is a novel disease first identified in 2020. Recent cohort studies have described the complex presentation and symptomatology. This paper provides detailed description of the dysphagia and dysphonia symptoms, management, and outcome. To describe dysphagia and dysphonia in PIMS-TS. Retrospective cohort study. Single tertiary and quaternary children's hospital. All 50 children treated for paediatric multisystem inflammatory disease between April and June 2020 were included in this study. Dysphonia: GRBAS Perceptual Severity Scores, Vocal Handicap Index scores and the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale. Dysphagia: Functional Oral Intake Scale. Fifty children met the diagnostic criteria for PIMS-TS. 33 (66%) were male. Median age was 10 years (range: 1–17). 36 (72%) were of Black, Asian or minority ethnic background. Nine (18%) required specialist assessment and management of dysphagia and/or dysphonia. Five (55%) were male with a median age of 9 years 7 months (range: 1–15 years). Symptoms typically resolved within three months. Two children presented with persisting dysphonia three months post-presentation. Neurological, inflammatory, and iatrogenic causes of dysphagia and dysphonia were identified. Dysphonia and dysphagia are present in children with PIMS-TS. Further data is required to understand pathophysiology, estimate incidence, and determine prognostic factors. This preliminary data highlights the need for dysphagia and dysphonia screening and timely referral for specialist, multidisciplinary assessment and treatment to ensure short-term aspiration risk is managed and long-term, functional outcomes are optimised. • How does dysphagia and dysphonia manifest in children with PIMS-TS? • 50 children, 9 (18%) presented with dysphagia and/or dysphonia requiring specialist assessment and management. • Resolution of symptoms occurred in all but 2 cases within 3 months with specialist, multi-disciplinary intervention. • Screening for dysphonia and dysphagia in children with PIMS-TS should be conducted to optimise functional outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]