Search

This paper examines the unintended consequences of emergency school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the impact of these closures on children and young people's United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and wider physical health rights. It addresses how States Parties should address and balance these rights during a crisis. It then contextualises the school closures, using global data mainly collated by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), exploring the direct health risk to children and young people from COVID-19 and the risk they posed to the wider community, finding both low. It then draws on findings from the Children and Young People's Commissioner, Scotland's COVID-19 Independent Children and Young People's Rights Assessment (ICRA) and wider literature identifying numerous unintended rights breaches, focusing on the rights breaches experienced by three particularly vulnerable groups of children and young people, namely those (i) at risk of physical or sexual violence; (ii) with additional support needs; and (iii) experiencing poverty and deprivation. Recommendations are made as to how to avoid breaching children and young peoples' physical health rights in future emergency school closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing new teachers to support all learners and to mitigate the impact of poverty on school learning experiences and outcomes is challenging. Many student teachers are concerned about how to respond to the needs of increasingly diverse groups of learners. While inclusive pedagogy offers a possible solution to the problem, there is still much to be learned about how to prepare and support teachers for inclusion. This study investigates the perspectives of student teachers in enacting an inclusive pedagogy in high poverty school settings. It considers the professional knowledge and skills the student teachers focus on during their initial teacher education. The paper draws on qualitative data from student teachers enrolled on a one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in Scotland. The findings highlight the importance of student teachers: (i) developing professional knowledge for connecting to the lives and experiences of children and young people, and (ii) developing professional and interpersonal skills for inclusion. Implications for initial teacher education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review is based investigations on the Western Isles, Scotland, by Martin Martin, a notable Scottish Highlander, academic and medical doctor, of the 17th–18th century. His extensive observations of the geography and peoples of these Isles were recorded in his books, "On the Description of the Western Islands of Scotland Circa 1695" and "A Late Voyage to St Kilda". In these books and subsequent papers there were some noteworthy observations on the occurrence (and as he says non-occurrence) of "epidemical" diseases and conditions afflicting the peoples of The Isle of Skye and the Western Isles of Scotland in this period, and these are discussed in this review. Martin also gives details of a wide variety of remedies that were observed or reported by inhabitants around that time. Some of these remedies are interesting for their relevance to the period but others are of doubtful merit. These are reviewed here more for their significance in the understanding of the diseases and conditions of humans and even in some cases animals at that time. Introductions by Charles Withers and R.W. Munro, 11 and re-assessments of the contributions of Martin and colleagues of that time have given insight into the health and condition of peoples of the Western Isles of Scotland(the Occidental) (Martin 1695; Martin 1716). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many migrant groups, particularly those that are politically and economically marginalised, such as asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs), face inequities in access to health care as well as poorer physical and mental health outcomes. The role of post-arrival experiences in contributing to these inequities is increasingly being explored, and it is suggested that being a migrant is itself a determinant of health outcomes. Drawing on the theoretical concept of structural vulnerability, this paper explores ASRs' experiences of health, wellbeing, and health practices in the context of their lived realities in Scotland. 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with ASRs from Sub-Saharan Africa between January and December 2015. Data were explored using thematic analysis. Experience of the UK asylum system, both alone and in conjunction with other sources of vulnerability including racism, poverty, and language barriers had a negative and ongoing impact on the physical and mental health of ASRs. These impacts continued, even once refugee status was obtained. Efforts to engage ASRs in preventive health programmes and practices must take into account the ways in which the asylum system acts as a determinant of health, affecting both what it means to be healthy and what capacity individuals have to engage with their health. Political choices in how the asylum process is enacted have far-reaching implications for individual and population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty, poor housing and poor health are complexly interconnected in a cycle that has proven resistant to intervention by housing providers or policy makers. Research often focuses on the impacts of the physical housing defects, particularly upon rates of (physical) illness and disease. There has been comparatively little research into the ways in which housing services can underpin the generation of positive health and, especially, wellbeing. Drawing on qualitative data from 75 tenants in the social and private rented sectors, this paper describes the findings of a research project that tracked tenants' experiences across their first year in a new tenancy in Greater Glasgow, Scotland. The project collected data on tenants' perceptions of housing and housing service quality, financial coping and health and wellbeing, which was analysed using the principles of Realist Evaluation to elucidate impacts and causal pathways. Being able to establish a sense of home was key to tenants' wellbeing. The home provided many tenants with a recuperative space in which to shelter from daily stressors and was a source of autonomy and social status. A sense of home was underpinned by aspects of the housing service, property quality and affordability which are potentially amenable to intervention by housing providers. These findings raise questions about the extent to which social housing providers and the private rental market in the UK are able to meet the needs of vulnerable tenants. They suggest that approaches to housing provision that go beyond providing a basic dwelling are needed to successfully intervene in the cycle of poverty, poor housing and poor health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the redistribution and rescaling of societal risk in rural Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic, as one episode of the permacrisis. Drawing on empirical work in three contrasting areas of Scotland and England, we analyse individuals' experiences of risk and of the institutions which offer them support in times of crisis (markets, state, voluntary and community organisations, and family and friends). Our findings reveal the unequal distribution of societal risk during the pandemic, exacerbated by a legacy of precariatisation and individualisation in the labour market and welfare reforms. Although the state acted to mitigate risk and financial hardship during the lockdown, it was often voluntary and community organisations that filled the gaps left by the inability of the state to reach effectively into rural areas. Social infrastructure and institutional capital are therefore central to the mitigation of vulnerability and societal risk. This raises important questions about the capacity of institutions to provide support in times of crisis to rural citizens. Unless there is societal pooling of risk through such institutions to ensure social protection and that nobody is disadvantaged by where they live, future episodes of the permacrisis are likely to exacerbate inequalities and vulnerabilities in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As digital tools are increasingly used to support COVID‐19 contact tracing, the equity implications must be considered. As part of a study to understand the public's views of digital contact tracing tools developed for the national 'Test and Protect' programme in Scotland, we aimed to explore the views of groups often excluded from such discussions. This paper reports on their views about the potential for contact tracing to exacerbate inequalities. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out; interviews were conducted with key informants from organizations supporting people in marginalized situations, followed by interviews and focus groups with people recruited from these groups. Participants included, or represented, minority ethnic groups, asylum seekers and refugees and those experiencing multiple disadvantage including severe and enduring poverty. Results: A total of 42 people participated: 13 key informants and 29 members of the public. While public participants were supportive of contact tracing, key informants raised concerns. Both sets of participants spoke about how contact tracing, and its associated digital tools, might increase inequalities. Barriers included finances (inability to afford smartphones or the data to ensure access to the internet); language (digital tools were available only in English and required a degree of literacy, even for English speakers); and trust (many marginalized groups distrusted statutory organizations and there were concerns that data may be passed to other organizations). One strength was that NHS Scotland, the data guardian, is seen as a generally trustworthy organization. Poverty was recognized as a barrier to people's ability to self‐isolate. Some participants were concerned about giving contact details of individuals who might struggle to self‐isolate for financial reasons. Conclusions: The impact of contact tracing and associated digital tools on marginalized populations needs careful monitoring. This should include the contact tracing process and the ability of people to self‐isolate. Regular clear messaging from trusted groups and community members could help maintain trust and participation in the programme. Patient and Public Contribution: Our patient and public involvement coapplicant, L. L., was involved in all aspects of the study including coauthorship. Interim results were presented to our local Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement Group, who commented on interpretation and made suggestions about further recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to safe, clean and affordable water is a basic human right and a global goal towards which climate change poses new challenges that heavily impact the health and wellbeing of people across the globe and exacerbate or create new inequalities. These challenges are shaped by a number of geographical and social conditions that, apart from the risks of weather-driven impacts on water, include water governance and management arrangements in place, including pricing tariffs, and the interplay of social and economic inequalities. Building on examples from Australia, Scotland and England and Wales that illustrate access to water in different types of water provision systems, and regarding to aspects of access, quality and affordability, this paper explores the types of challenges related to water poverty in the context of climate crisis and reflects on the multiple dimensions of water poverty oriented social policy at the interplay of climate change associated risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the origins and traces the history of the Social Fund, an ideologically-motivated social policy departure of the Thatcher era. It identifies the controversy, in research communities amongst others, which surrounded the establishment of the Fund, and considers the evidence of recurring difficulties in its practical operation over a thirty-year period. It then turns to the Coalition administration in Westminster’s decision to divest itself of responsibility for key parts of the Fund, devolving such obligations to local authorities in England, the Parliament in Scotland and the Assembly in Wales. The paper sets out a comparison of the approaches being developed to discharge the Fund’s prior responsibilities in the three nations. It concludes that the essential policy thrust lies in a determination to roll back central state obligations in poverty relief and income maintenance which had hitherto been accepted by all post-war administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores early childhood experience in Scotland in terms of how readily the aspirations of policy convert to day-to-day practices. Ambitions to improve the lives of children and families have been high on the political agenda. Policy may be understood as a tool that aims to influence childhood experience in positive ways. If this is to be so, then the processes that effect change and their limitations need to be understood better, as do the underpinning values and assumptions. The workforce is at the heart of the endeavour to put policy aspirations into action: they are considered to be agents of change. In exploring such issues this paper draws on a policy-based functional analysis of the children's workforce [Dunlop, A.-W., L. Seagraves, S. Henderson, J. Henry, J. Martlew, and J. Fee. 2011.A Policy-Based Functional Analysis of the Children's Workforce. For Scottish Government: Children and Young People Social Care Directorate, Workforce and Capacity Issues Division] and on policy developments since. The paper therefore discusses Scottish policy aspirations for young children and their families, the contribution of the workforce to achieving those aspirations and asks if staff competence in itself is sufficient to ensure policy delivery for all in a climate where child poverty continues to contribute to unequal lives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research examines evidence for whether housing costs are more likely to be associated with poverty in rural than in urban Scotland. It reports the results from probit modelling of British Household Panel Survey data from 1999 to 2008. Empirical work is set in the context of understandings of factors associated with poverty, defined on an income basis, and specific features associated with rural locations. Attention is drawn to the way in which rurality is defined and that definition operationalized. The finding from the multivariate analysis is that a household's housing costs do not appear to have a different association with its propensity to experience poverty in rural as opposed to urban Scotland. The paper sets out conclusions in the recognition of possible limitations and identifies ways in which the evidence can be extended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the evolution of homelessness policy and practice in Scotland since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. It uses, as its reference point, simultaneous developments in England. It critically examines the practicability of flagship Scottish government policy to widen the remit of the homelessness legislation - effectively an extension of citizenship rights. This is compared with the more 'consumerist' tilt of the New Labour housing policy in England. At the same time, the paper draws attention to the parallels in the recent development of homelessness policy in the two jurisdictions; in the promotion of a 'strategic approach' to homelessness on the part of local authorities and the associated advocacy of 'prevention-focused practice'. Drawing on empirical research in both Scotland and England, the paper compares and contrasts approaches to homelessness prevention north and south of the border, and explores the limits of 'devolutionary divergence' in this policy area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the shift from a social to a medical function which occurred in nineteenth-century general hospitals has been explored, the occurrence of such a change in maternity hospitals has not been considered. Recent analyses of such institutions have examined particular aspects only, and thus give a somewhat static picture. This paper uses analysis of patient records (themselves an under-exploited resource) to explore the changing function of the Edinburgh Royal Maternity Hospital from a provider of shelter during childbirth to the destitute to a source of skilled medical care. It concludes that, although the Hospital had adopted the outward features of a medical institution by 1890, its casebooks suggest that its purpose only decisively changed in the early twentieth century, and thus can perhaps be more appropriately linked with national anxiety regarding the health of babies and their mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What does the idea of improvement mean when applied to an impoverished peripheral region? This paper introduces a little-known Presbyterian clergyman Thomas Hepburn (circa 1727–1777), and situates his economic analysis of eighteenth-century Orkney in the context of corresponding networks in the Scottish Enlightenment. Hepburn reported in his Letter (1760) on poor practices in agriculture, manufacture, and trading, and cited tyranny and oppression by the local lairds as the causes of poverty in Orkney. This paper highlights the central role of the local minister in mediating his observations on the condition of his parishioners to an administrative and learned audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – No-fines concrete (NFC) is an open textured cellular concrete obtained by eliminating either fines or sand from the normal concrete mix. Research in the 1950s showed this material to be capable of energy and cement savings and worthy of being seen as a material that would revolutionise the way affordable homes could be built. In today's context, it may be argued that homes built using this material suffer from fuel poverty as a result of their thermal performance characteristics. This paper seeks to discuss the performance characteristics of NFC in social housing by identifying the nature of the material and the influence of pore structure on heat loss through the fabric of the building. Design/methodology/approach – Exploratory work was carried out to determine the build and performance characteristics of NFC as used in a range of social housing units. The work includes both laboratory tests and site investigations to identify the physical, thermal, visual and quality characteristics of NFC in cores taken from existing housing units in Irvine, Scotland and units cast in the lab. Findings – The findings from the tests are used to discuss the actual characteristics of NFC and highlight the nature of pores in NFC and, their influence on heat loss through the external fabric. Practical implications – Identifying the nature of pores in NFC helps provide approaches towards optimising solutions aimed at improving the thermal performance of the building. Originality/value – This paper is the first to discuss the on-site build and performance characteristics of NFC and the nature and influence of pores on the thermal performance of NFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New additional support-needs legislation in Scotland sought to recognise the way in which poverty, as well as individual impairment, contribute to the creation of children's difficulties in learning. As well as identifying a wider range of needs, the legislation sought to provide parents, irrespective of social background, with more powerful means of challenging local authority decisions on resource allocation, with the aim of delivering a fairer system. This paper uses Scottish Government statistics and family case studies drawn from an ESRC-funded project (RES-062-23-0803) to examine the links between social deprivation, the identification of additional support needs and parents' ability to use the new dispute resolution mechanisms. There is a strong association between the identification of additional support needs and social deprivation and this is particularly marked in relation to non-normative difficulties, such as social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, compared with normative difficulties such as blindness and deafness. Statutory educational plans, which provide greater rights to additional resources and formal dispute resolution mechanisms, are disproportionately distributed to parents in more advantaged neighbourhoods. Parents from middle-class backgrounds appear to be able to use their social and cultural capital more effectively to challenge local authority decisions. The paper concludes that some funding for additional support needs should be allocated on the basis of social deprivation, but there continues to be a need for the assessment and resourcing of individual needs, since poverty has material consequences for individual children, whose difficulties may be overlooked if an entirely systemic approach is adopted. There is a need for greater investment in advocacy service to enable parents from poorer backgrounds to exercise their rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the significant characteristics of many poor neighbourhoods is that the schools which serve them are characterised by poor performance in terms of attainment and other measures. This feature is seen as critical in the reinforcement of disadvantage, its transmission between generations, and as a barrier to social integration. Government policies in the UK have increasingly targeted improved school standards and performance, while other policies on urban regeneration and housing may interact with this issue. This paper examines the particular role of homeownership tenure alongside the other factors (notably poverty) which affect school attainment. After reviewing existing literature it presents new analyses of attainment based on linked pupil, school and small area-level datasets for selected areas in both England and Scotland. This provides some evidence to support the contention that homeownership has an additional effect on school attainment, beyond that explained by poverty and other associated variables, although there is some uncertainty about how separable these effects are at school or neighbourhood levels. It also points out the significant role of changing tenure mix in housing regeneration in transforming the overall profile of neighbourhoods and schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the distributional consequences of farm income mobility in Scotland, focusing on the extent to which farm income inequality is a chronic as opposed to a temporary phenomenon and on the nature of the dynamic processes driving changes in farm income inequality over time. The empirical results reveal that the majority of farm income inequality was long-run or structural in nature, reflecting differences in both farm business size and farm-specific factors such as land quality, managerial ability and business structures. Evidence of absolute convergence in farm incomes is explained by short-run adjustments towards equilibrium or target incomes conditional upon prices, technology and farm business size, with farm business growth conditional upon survival found to have had no significant redistributive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Practical Theology is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Records of asylums, schools, and benevolent organisations that intervened in the lives of disabled children in Scotland during the long nineteenth century have survived to varying degrees in public and institutional archives. This might suggest the existence of detailed primary source material that stands in contrast to the sparse data about those disabled children who 'escaped' the attention of organisations that aimed to support and direct their lives. However, the records of these formal organisations are inconsistent in what they reveal about the lives of the children under their patronage. This article explores the challenges presented by the records of three organisations, namely, the Scottish National Institution for the Education of Imbecile Children in Larbert, Edinburgh's Gayfield Square blind school, and East Park Home for Aiding Infirm Children in the Maryhill district of Glasgow. Among the deficiencies of surviving institutional records are the frequent paucity of insights into the lives of their young residents. This article will consider how some of their life journeys can nonetheless be researched by marshalling data from the likes of mandatory registration records and decennial census enumerators' books. In addition to benefits afforded to genealogists, such records provide historians with materials from which disabled lives can be reconstructed and analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medicalisation of the behaviour of children is a phenomenon that is attracting growing attention, with particular concern about the increased likelihood of children living in disadvantaged contexts receiving a medical diagnosis, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and treatment. This paper reports on a study of professionals involved with children experiencing behavioural problems. The professionals interviewed in this study articulated their own reservations about the medicalisation of children’s behaviour and revealed a number of strategies for interrupting the process towards diagnosis. These interruptions, analysed using Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of deterriorialisation, took place along linguistic, visual and affective planes and were successful in encouraging teachers and head teachers to see alternatives to the medical route. The findings have implications for existing practice in the response to, and support for, behavioural problems and for teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT Until recently, little was known about kinship care in the UK. Research has begun to illuminate the circumstances which lead to children being cared for by relatives, and the stresses and strains experienced by carers. However, most UK research has only considered 'looked-after' children placed with formal approved kinship foster carers, although this group forms the smallest proportion of children in kinship arrangements. In this paper, we use microdata from the 2001 UK Population Census to examine the characteristics of kinship carers and children, and demonstrate that most children in kinship care are growing up in informal unregulated arrangements. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper presents further analysis of a study aimed at examining the determinants of good health and successful ageing in an area of deprivation. In this paper we report findings from the quantitative data related to two of the original eight research questions: (1) To what extent can health in old age be attributed to psychological/personality variables? and (2) What is the role of religious beliefs and 'spirituality' in healthy ageing?, Study Design: In-depth interview study in which standardized measures of personality and beliefs were administered, along with measures of beliefs devised for the study., Methods: One hundred matched pairs of healthy and unhealthy 'agers' were interviewed face-to-face. Healthy ageing was assessed in terms of hospital morbidity and self-reported health. The sample comprised 106 males and 94 females (53 male matched pairs and 47 female matched pairs) ranging in age from 70 to 90 years of age with the majority (n=165) falling into the 71-80 age group and the remaining 35 in the 81-90 age group. All study participants were survivors of the Paisley/Renfrew (MIDSPAN) survey, a longitudinal study commenced in 1972 with continuous recording of morbidity and mortality since. Questionnaires assessing extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, health locus of control, sense of coherence, optimism, and religiosity were filled in by participants during the interviews., Results: Compared to the unhealthy group, the healthy participants were less neurotic, more likely to endorse an internal locus of control belief and less likely to endorse a powerful others locus of control belief, and to report a greater sense of coherence. The unhealthy group scored higher on the religiosity/spirituality measure devised for this study., Conclusions: The findings are interesting in that, although they cannot address the issue of cause and effect, the very fact that the personality traits measured in this study were linked to health status in old age, further strengthens the argument that in general practice and hospital settings, an understanding of personality aids practitioners in dealing with patients. Finally, with the growing body of evidence that personality traits have a high degree of heritability, the routine gathering of information on personality traits would aid epidemiologists in their understanding of the determinants of healthy and successful ageing.

Childhood obesity is rising and this rise has been linked to a decrease in physical activity. Access to appropriate facilities for physical activity is a key determinant of participation. This paper investigates the provision of outdoor play areas for children in relation to area deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland. Analysis of the distribution of outdoor play areas showed significantly higher mean number of play areas per 1000 child population in more deprived areas. However, despite the apparent advantage of deprived areas in terms of actual number of play areas, the quality of play areas in different types of areas may warrant further exploration.

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study which examined the perceptions and understandings underpinning the dietary practices in families with 'normal' weight and 'overweight' young teenagers living in poorer socio-economic circumstances. Thirty four parents/main food providers of boys and girls aged 13-14 years from socio-economically disadvantaged areas in Eastern Scotland were interviewed. Within the home there was a strong acknowledgement of these early teenagers' own food preferences; parents also saw them as having increasing responsibility for their own food choices outwith the home but these were often described as 'not healthy' choices. However, parents saw dietary issues as of fairly low priority in the hierarchy of health-relevant and other risks facing their teenagers. Equally, these interviewees felt that issues around body shape and size at this age were less potentially problematic than the risks to teenagers' mental or physical health of their becoming obsessed with weight loss. Parents often made sense of their teenager's body size and shape in terms of the variety of body types in families and inherited traits. Interviewees seemed to lack a discourse to understand weight and overweight in this age group, falling back on understandings derived from the adult lifestage.

Little is known about the response of post-partum women from deprived backgrounds to weight management interventions, however behavioural intervention trials in disadvantaged communities are often characterised by recruitment difficulties. Recruitment and retention is key to the robust conduct of an effective trial, and exploratory work is essential prior to a definitive randomised controlled trial. This paper describes strategies used to recruit to the WeighWell feasibility study, which aimed to recruit 60 overweight or obese post-partum women living in areas of deprivation to a trial of a weight-loss intervention. Recruitment strategies included the following: (1) distribution of posters and 'business cards'; (2) newspaper advertisements; (3) visits to community groups; and (4) personalised letters of invitation sent via the National Health Service (NHS). Potential participants were screened for eligibility following response to a Freephone number. Body mass index was calculated using self-reported body weight and height. Over 6 months, 142 women responded of whom 65 (46%) met the eligibility criteria. The most effective methods for recruiting eligible women and those who went on to complete the study ( n = 36) were visits to community groups (37% and 42%, respectively), personalised letters (26% and 17%, respectively) and posters and 'business cards' (22% and 31%, respectively). These results emphasise the need to utilise a range of strategies beyond traditional NHS settings. Current approaches might be enhanced by sending personal contact letters via their General Practitioner to women identified as eligible at post-natal discharge. Under-reporting of body weight by self-report suggests that a threshold lower than 25 kg/m2 should be utilised for screening purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Catholic adults in the West of Scotland, who are mainly of Irish origin, have been shown to suffer excess morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. A major contributing factor to this inequality is socio-economic disadvantage. This paper investigates the health and socio-economic position of Catholics in the youngest generation., Design: Secondary analysis of baseline data from the West of Scotland 11-16 STUDY: Teenage Health, which is a longitudinal school-based survey., Setting: One hundred and thirty five primary schools in Glasgow and surrounding districts., Subjects: Two thousand five hundred and eighty six final-year pupils (average age eleven years and three months), born in 1983/1984., Results: Comparing Catholics and non-Catholics on a range of indicators of general health, recent acute symptoms, chronic conditions, mental health and physical measures, we found no evidence of any systematic health inequality. A few indicators did show statistically significant differences at the five percent level, but these were not in any consistent direction. In terms of household socio-economic position, though, we found strong evidence of disadvantage for Catholics. Catholic children were more likely to have parents of manual social class, without any formal qualifications, who were less likely to own their home or a car, more likely to express difficulty 'making ends meet', and more likely to live in a deprived area., Conclusions: We discuss the prospects for diminishing socio-economic inequality over time between Catholics and non-Catholics in this cohort, which will depend on Catholic social mobility. We consider the likelihood of enduring health equality for Catholics, which will depend on the effects of different influences on health over the life course.

Context: This paper reports on a qualitative study looking at the perceptions of clients who use drugs and are on low income. Research suggests that counselling services can experience difficulties in reaching and retaining such clients, and outcomes of counselling can be disappointing. Aim: To learn from clients who had engaged in counselling for over six months what difference it had made to their lives. Method: Grounded theory methodology was used to analyse semi-structured interviews with six participants. Findings: Findings included changes in the clients' internal world, their connectedness with society, their familiarity with counselling, and their perception of the relationship with the counsellor. Factors within the counselling process which helped and hindered change were identified. The study documents how participants were able to use counselling to improve their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 'deprivation amplification' hypothesis suggests that residents of deprived neighbourhoods have universally poorer access to high-quality food environments, which in turn contributes to the development of spatial inequalities in diet and diet-related chronic disease. This paper presents results from a study that quantified access to grocery stores selling fresh fruit and vegetables in four environmental settings in Scotland, UK.Methods: Spatial accessibility, as measured by network travel times, to 457 grocery stores located in 205 neighbourhoods in four environmental settings (island, rural, small town and urban) in Scotland was calculated using Geographical Information Systems. The distribution of accessibility by neighbourhood deprivation in each of these four settings was investigated.Results: Overall, the most deprived neighbourhoods had the best access to grocery stores and grocery stores selling fresh produce. Stratified analysis by environmental setting suggests that the least deprived compared with the most deprived urban neighbourhoods have greater accessibility to grocery stores than their counterparts in island, rural and small town locations. Access to fresh produce is better in more deprived compared with less deprived urban and small town neighbourhoods, but poorest in the most affluent island communities with mixed results for rural settings.Conclusions: The results presented here suggest that the assumption of a universal 'deprivation amplification' hypothesis in studies of the neighbourhood food environment may be misguided. Associations between neighbourhood deprivation and grocery store accessibility vary by environmental setting. Theories and policies aimed at understanding and rectifying spatial inequalities in the distribution of neighbourhood exposures for poor diet need to be context specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years a number of countries have implemented comprehensive smoking bans to protect workers from adverse effects of exposure to second-hand smoke. It is also well known that many key stakeholders working in hospitality settings are themselves smokers. This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal qualitative study conducted with bar workers following the implementation of smoke-free legislation in Scotland. It examines the effects of smoking prevalence and status on support for smoke-free legislation, and its impact on business and working practices as well as bar workers' smoking behaviour both in and outside of the workplace. The results highlight a need for targeted assistance for businesses serving disadvantaged communities both to adapt commercially to the legislation and to provide cessation support to workers who smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2005 225,000 people marched through Edinburgh enjoining the G8 to 'Make Poverty History'. The coalition's own assessment of their campaign highlighted the importance of media by focusing on the extent of media coverage. Media outlets, however, have their own agendas. Detailed analysis of newspaper coverage preceding the G8 Summit suggests a disjuncture between campaign objectives and media frames. This paper explores how far newspaper accounts of G8-related protests were 'framed' in terms of social movement aims, and how far in terms of anticipated violence. Our findings lead us to caution against an uncritical equation of 'coverage' and 'success', offering a more nuanced account of the interplay between social movements and media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Class has become the social condition that dare not it speak its name in the devolved Scotland. This is despite the persistence of marked class divisions and structured inequalities within contemporary Scottish society. We critically examine the most empirically sophisticated and coherent analysis of social class in Scotland - that provided by 'the Edinburgh school' of social scientists, particularly their claim that Scotland is now a prosperous, 'professional society' where only a small but significant minority are trapped in poverty. This paper further considers the extent to which 'devolution', and the dominant representations to which it has given rise, serve to generate a series of other myths in which class is both devalued but simultaneously mobilized in the negative portrayal of some of the most disadvantaged sections of the working class. Against an emerging, home-grown view of 'New Scotland' as a prosperous 'Smart, Successful Scotland', poverty and wealth inequalities continue to be a necessary feature of the division of labour. In Scotland, as elsewhere, class remains the pivot-point around which much of social policy is encoded and enacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a study on rural disadvantage to explore the implications of disadvantage for the health of rural communities and the organisation and delivery of health care services in rural areas. Rural health research has been a neglected topic. Yet previous research has reported the importance local people and practitioners place on the provision and organisation of health services in rural areas.' The research reported in this paper further emphasises this point and, in addition, provides empirical data on local people and practitioners perceptions of health issues and health services in four areas of rural Scotland.

Background Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young people's increased risk of self-harm, suicidal attempts and suicide compared with heterosexual youth is well established. The current study sought to examine whether these findings also apply to the trans (T) population and which factors act as additional risk or protective factors. Methods In a national cross-sectional survey, 3713 LGBT adolescents, aged 11–19 years, reported on their own history of self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, as well as their experiences of school and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. Logistic regressions tested the association between risk and protective factors on self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Results A high proportion of the sample reported self-harm (65.3%), suicidal ideation (73.8%) and suicide attempts (25.7%). Demographic risk factors included identifying as female, non-binary or trans and being from a low-income background. Bullying and online bullying were associated with an increased risk for each outcome, and positive school experience was associated with a reduced risk for each outcome. Conclusions Consistent with minority stress theory, the study found high rates of mental health problems within LGBT youth. Interventions focused on improving young people's experiences in schools appear useful targets to help improve mental health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aim: The aim of this project was to develop a quality nurse education programme in Bangladesh. A sustainable social business financial model was used. The project is a collaboration between Glasgow Caledonian University and the Grameen Health Care Trust. It contributes to the UN development agenda, eradication of poverty, sustainability and the development of global partnerships. Background: There is an acute shortage of nurses in Bangladesh but many young women who wish to become nurses are unable to do so. Women are discriminated against, have few leadership opportunities and poverty affects large proportions of rural society. Development: The collaboration between the University and the Trust provides the necessary input to ensure a quality nursing programme. A business plan was developed, competency ‐ based teaching introduced, infrastructure and financial management processes were set ‐ up and an evaluation framework was put in place. Evaluation: The systems evaluation framework monitors the financial status of the College and the effects of the programme on students. The social business model, providing access to educational loans, has enabled 118 students to graduate into employment. The College is currently on target to be financially sustainable by 2016. Discussion: This project outlines a business model that tackles poverty, gender equality and contributes to the human resource deficit. Young women are equipped as change agents and leaders. Conclusion and implications for nursing and health policy: The social business model provides a mechanism for releasing funds for education to those who are impoverished. It provides a viable option for increasing the number of well ‐ educated nurse leaders in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic abuse is a pernicious societal issue that has both short- and long-term consequences for those who are victimized. Research points to motherhood being linked to women's victimization, with pregnancy being a particular point of risk. Across UK jurisdictions, new legislation aims to extend the criminalization of domestic abuse to include coercive control. Less clear is the relationship between mothers' victimization of different "types" of abuse and other factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and level of education. The article makes an original contribution to knowledge by addressing these limitations of the existing literature. Using nationally representative data from a Scottish longitudinal survey (N = 3,633) into children's development this article investigates the social stratification of mothers' exposure to different types of abuse, including coercive control, physical abuse, and threats. Overall, 14% of mothers report experiencing any type of domestic abuse since the birth of the study child (age 6), of which 7% experienced physical abuse. Compared to mothers in the highest income households, mothers in the lowest income quintile were far more likely to experience any form of abuse (Logistic Regression, OR = 3.55), more likely to have experienced more types of abuse and to have experienced these more often (OR = 5.54). Age had a protective effect, with mothers aged 20 or younger at most risk of abuse (OR = 2.60 compared to mothers aged 40+). Interaction effects between age and income suggested that an intersectional lens may help explain the cumulative layers of difficulty which young mothers on low incomes may find themselves in when it comes to abusive partners. The pattern of social stratification remained the same when comparing different types of abuse. Mothers of boys were more likely to experience abuse, and to experience more types of abuse, more often. We reflect on how these findings could inform existing policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty in Hong Kong is high and rising. This has given rise to community concern and put the government under pressure. It responded by establishing a Commission on Poverty in 2012, which announced in 2013 that it had reached agreement on an official poverty line for Hong Kong - a decision that has since been endorsed by the government. This paper describes how the poverty line is constructed and summarises the key findings in a new report on poverty in Hong Kong. It highlights existing policy failings and examines the implications for policy reform and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug-related deaths have increased significantly in Scotland in recent years, with a much greater percentage increase in deaths among women than among men. We undertook a mixed-methods project to identify explanations for this trend, comprising three parallel methodological strands: (i) an analysis of available routine data, including drug treatment data, death registrations, and surveys of people using needle exchanges; (ii) thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups with professional stakeholders and (iii) secondary analysis of interviews with women who use drugs. Results indicated that the observed trend is likely to reflect multiple, interacting causes. Potential contributors identified were: ageing; changing patterns of substance use; increasing prevalence of physical and mental health co-morbidities; changing relationships and parenting roles; changes to treatment services and wider health and social care provision; unintended consequences or poor implementation of recovery-oriented practice; and changes in the social security system. Policy responses to rising drug-related death rates require a gender-informed approach, recognising the commonalities and differences between men and women who use drugs; the diversity of experiences within each gender; and the intersections between gender and other forms of inequality, such as poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BRAMLEY G., LANCASTER S. and GORDON D. (2000) Benefit take-up and the geography of poverty in Scotland. Reg. Studies 34, 507-519. Renewed interest in poverty and social exclusion and the greater availability of welfare benefits information at local and small area level create new opportunities for the analysis of the geography of poverty to inform regeneration and resource allocation policies. However, not all eligible households claim benefits and not all of the poor are eligible for benefits. Through use of a large scale micro survey dataset for Scotland, the relationships between benefit claiming, eligibility and income poverty are examined for different types of area. Marked differences are found in the extent to which benefits are claimed and the coverage of poverty provided by benefit eligibility between elderly and other households and between areas which are more and less affluent. Urban-rural differences are less marked once allowance is made for these other characteristics. A profile is presented of the poor who are not captured by benefit measures. The contemporary geography of poverty in Scotland is described at local authority level using different measures including enhanced benefit-based estimates and proxy-based indicators, highlighting the concentrated poverty in the urban west of the country. BRAMLEY G., LANCASTER S. et GORDON D. (2000) La demande de prestations et la géographie de la pauvreté en Ecosse, Reg. Studies 34, 507-519. L'intérêt accru pour la pauvreté et l'exclusion, et l'accès plus librè a l'information relative aux prestations sociales, au niveau local ainsi que sur le plan des zones plus petites, offrent de nouvelles possibilités d'analyser la géographie de la pauvreté a n de guider les politiques de régénération et de l'affectation des ressources. Toujours est-il que tous les ménages qui ont droit aux prestations n'en font pas une demande, et tous les pauvres n'y ont pas droit. A partir d'une importante base de données provenant d'une enquête détaillée, on étudie le rapport entre la demande de prestations, la couverture et les minima sociaux en fonction des zones différentes. Il s'avère des écarts marqués quant à la demande de prestations et à la couverture pour ce qui est des personnes âgées par rapport aux autres groupes, et des zones plus riches par rapport aux zones plus pauvres. Les écarts ruralo-urbains s'avèrent moins marqués, compte tenu de ces caractéristiques-là. On présente un profil des pauvres qui n'ont pas droit aux prestations. La géographie contemporaine de la pauvreté de l'Ecosse se voit décrire au niveau de l'administration locale à partir des mesures diverses, y compris de meilleures estimations basées sur les prestations et des indicateurs basés sur des variables interposées, et souligne la concentration de la pauvreté dans la partie urbaine à l'ouest du pays. BRAMLEY G., LANCASTER S. und GORDON D. (2000) Inanspruchnahme von Sozialhilfe und die Geographic von Bedürftigkeitsfällen in Schottland, Reg. Studies 34, 507– 519. Erneutes Interesse an Problemen der Bedürftigkeit und gesellschaftlichem Ausgcschlossensein, sowie die Tatsache, daß Information über Sozialhilfe auf örtlicher und Kleingebietsebene leichter erhältlich ist, schaffen neue Gelegenheiten für eine Analyse des Bedürftigkeitsvorkommens, das die Grundlage für Erholung und Mittelzuteilungspolitik bildet. Es wird jedoch nicht von allen bedürftigen Haushalten Unterstützung beantragt, noch sind alle Bedürftigen berechtigt, Unterstützung zu beziehen. Mit Hilfe einer großangelegten Datenreihe einer Untersuchung auf Mikroebene für Schottland werden die Beziehungen zwischen Inanspruchnahme von Sozialhilfe, Berechtigung und Einkommensbedürftigkeit fur unterschiedliche Gebietstypen untersucht. Es werden zwischen Haushalten älterer Personen und denen anderer, sowie zwischen mehr oder weniger wohlhabenden Gebieten deutliche Unterschiede des Ausmaßes der Beantragung von Sozialhilfe und der Deckung von Bedürftigkeitsfällen durch Berechtigung zum Empfang von Sozialhilfe festgestellt. Unterschiede zwischen Stadt und Land sind weniger ausgeprägt, wenn die oben erwähntcn Merkmale berücksichtigt worden sind. Es wird ein Profil der Bedürftigen vorgelegt, die nicht von Sozialhilfemaßnahmen erfaßt werden. Die gegenwärtige Geographie der Bedürftigkeit in Schottland wird auf der Ebene der Ortsverwaltung beschrieben, wobei verschiedene Maße, einschließlich aufgebesserter, auf Sozialhilfe fußendcr Schätzungen und stellvertretend aufgeführter Indikationen herangezogen werden, wobei die Konzentration bedürftiger Personen im städtischen Westen hervorgehoben wird. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on several parliamentary papers that address issues of poverty and inequality in Great Britain. The paper "Ending Child Poverty: Making It Happen" has identified the four building blocks of the elimination of child poverty, which include employment and financial support. Based on the document "Achieving Our Potential. A Framework to Tackle Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland," the Scottish government will urge Great Britain's government to transfer the responsibility for taxation and benefits to Scotland.

War and natural disaster have been spurs to the creation of rehabilitation services. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a different question for existing rehabilitation services: how best to respond to a disaster that is anticipated from afar, but whose shape has yet to take full form? Applying the 5-phase crisis management model of Pearson and Mitroff, we report our experience at one of Scotland's largest centres for rehabilitation, in planning to cope with COVID-19. Contingency rehabilitation planning can be framed in a 5-phase crisis management model that includes (i) signal detection; (ii) prevention/preparedness; (iii) damage limitation; (iv) recovery; and (v) learning. We have reported the impact of COVID-19 on rehabilitation services within a Scottish context and shared some of our learning. COVID-19 has challenged healthcare worldwide and has served as an amplifier for the recognised ill effects of poverty and inequality. As rehabilitation clinicians, we are in a position to continue advocating for people facing disability, and also seeking and responding to signals of COVID-19's late effects in both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients alike. COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented challenges in rehabilitation service planning. Contingency rehabilitation planning can be framed in a 5-phase crisis management model of Pearson and Mitroff, including (i) signal detection; (ii) prevention/preparedness; (iii) damage limitation; (iv) recovery; and (v) learning. COVID-19 has served as an amplifier for the recognised ill effects of poverty and inequality; as rehabilitation clinicians, we are in a position to continue advocating for people facing disability, and also seeking and responding to signals of COVID-19's late effects in both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, tackling Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has become a central dimension of early years, education, youth and family policy. In this Scottish Affairs special issue, we discuss why this public policy has galvanized so much attention in Scotland, and the possible consequence its popularity might have in theory, policy and practice. How, for example, has ACE research shaped how policy is responding to poverty and social inequality? What moral judgements are made by the ACE-agenda, and how might it obscure alternative ways of thinking about the problem of adversity, and cultivating lasting solutions. With contributions from academics and practitioners across different disciplines and practice settings, the collection points to an ongoing need for critical engagement in ACE-policy, and a greater commitment to understanding how ACE-policy is being translated into different practice settings. While theoretical debates are important, future research must prioritise the experiences of practitioners, and those with lived experience of adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Giving children the best start in life is critical for their future health and wellbeing. Political devolution in the UK provides a natural experiment to explore how public health systems contribute to children's early developmental outcomes across four countries. Method A systematic literature review and input from a stakeholder group was used to develop a public health systems framework. This framework then informed analysis of public health policy approaches to early child development. Results A total of 118 studies met the inclusion criteria. All national policies championed a 'prevention approach' to early child development. Political factors shaped divergence, with variation in national conceptualizations of child development ('preparing for life' versus 'preparing for school') and pre-school provision ('universal entitlement' or 'earned benefit'). Poverty and resourcing were identified as key system factors that influenced outcomes. Scotland and Wales have enacted distinctive legislation focusing on wider determinants. However, this is limited by the extent of devolved powers. Conclusion The systems framework clarifies policy complexity relating to early child development. The divergence of child development policies in the four countries and, particularly, the explicit recognition in Scottish and Welsh policy of wider determinants, creates scope for this topic to be a tracer area to compare UK public health systems longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty can have a detrimental impact on the emotional well-being, educational attainment and future life chances of children and young people (CYP). It is known that poverty can also create several barriers to CYP and families accessing services. Furthermore, structural factors such as spending cuts on public services mean that professionals working with people affected by poverty have to ‘do more with less’. Practitioners could fail to acknowledge the impact of poverty if they have little cultural experience of poverty through their professional discourses and training. This could create a social distance between service-users and practitioners, as well as a misalignment of priorities, which could lead to inappropriate interventions being offered and opportunities missed to tackle the impact of poverty. This study gathered the views of 10 Art Therapists working in areas of multiple deprivation as determined by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) in West Central Scotland. The aim was to examine practitioner’s perspectives on poverty and what they notice about its exploration by CYP in art therapy sessions. The study also considered if art therapists working in areas of multiple deprivation adapted their practice to create a contextualised and flexible service that would address the practical as well as the emotional impact of poverty. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Whilst most participants showed an awareness of the difficulties faced by CYP affected by poverty, there was evidence that there were numerous cultural barriers meaning the indicators of poverty could be missed by some practitioners. Despite this, participants were clear on the various ways poverty is explored in sessions by CYP. Some art therapists adapted their practice on occasions to address the practical impact of poverty. However, several art therapists faced structural barriers to being able to tackle poverty. Therefore, the data suggests that cultural and structural barriers made it difficult for practitioners working in areas of multiple deprivation to consistently adapt their practice to create a contextualised and flexible service that fully addresses the emotional and the practical impact of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Although 45% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases may be avoidable through appropriate lifestyle and weight management, health promotion interventions run the risk of widening health inequalities. The BeWEL randomised controlled trial assessed the impact of a diet and activity programme in overweight adults who were diagnosed with a colorectal adenoma, demonstrating a significantly greater weight loss at 12 months in intervention participants than in controls. The present study aimed to compare BeWEL intervention outcomes by participant deprivation status. Methods: The intervention group of the BeWEL trial (n = 163) was classified by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintiles into ‘more deprived’ (SIMD 1–2, n = 58) and ‘less deprived’ (SIMD 3–5, n = 105). Socio‐economic and lifestyle variables were compared at baseline to identify potential challenges to intervention adherence in the more deprived. Between group differences at 12 months in primary outcome (change in body weight) and secondary outcomes (cardiovascular risk factors, diet, physical activity, knowledge of CRC risk and psychosocial variables) were assessed by deprivation status. Results: At baseline, education (P = 0.001), income (P < 0.001), spending on physical activity (P = 0.003) and success at previous weight loss attempts (P = 0.007) were significantly lower in the most deprived. At 12 months, no between group differences by deprivation status were detected for changes in primary and main secondary outcomes. Conclusions: Despite potential barriers faced by the more deprived participants, primary and most secondary outcomes were comparable between groups, indicating that this intervention is unlikely to worsen health inequalities and is equally effective across socio‐economic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This is the first research to examine how the policy of patient choice and commercial contracting where NHS funds are given to private providers to tackle waiting times, impacted on direct NHS provision and treatment inequalities. Methods An ecological study of NHS funded elective primary hip arthroplasties in Scotland using routinely collected inpatient data 1 April 1993-31 March 2013. Results An increased use of private sector provision by NHS Boards was associated with a significant decrease in direct NHS provision in 2008/ 09 (P < 0.01) and with widening inequalities by age and socio-economic deprivation. National treatment rate fell from 143.8 (140.3, 147.3) per 100 000 in 2006/07 to 137.8 (134.4, 141.2) per 100 000 in 2007/08. By 2012/13, territorial NHS Boards had not recovered 2006/07 levels of provision; this was most marked for NHS Boards with the greatest use of private sector, namely Fife, Grampian and Lothian. Patients aged 85 years and over or living in the more deprived areas of Scotland appear to have been disadvantaged since the onset of patient choice in 2002. Conclusions NHS funding of private sector provision for elective hip arthroplasty was associated with a decrease in public provision and may have contributed to an increase in age and socio-economic inequalities in treatment rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of the American Association of Geographers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Research on predictors of young children's psychosocial well-being currently relies on adult-reported outcomes. This study investigated whether early family circumstances and parenting predict 7-year-olds' subjective well-being.Methods: Information on supportive friendships, liking school and life satisfaction was obtained from 7-year-olds in one Growing Up in Scotland birth cohort in 2012-2013 (N = 2869). Mothers provided information on early childhood factors from 10 to 34 months, parenting (dysfunctional parenting, home learning and protectiveness) from 46 to 70 months, and 7-year-olds' adjustment. Multivariable path models explored associations between early childhood factors, parenting and 7-year-olds' subjective well-being. Supplementary analyses compared findings with those for mother-reported adjustment.Results: In a model of early childhood factors, maternal distress predicted less supportive friendships and lower life satisfaction (coefficients -0.12), poverty predicted less supportive friendships (-0.09) and remote location predicted all outcomes (-0.20 to -0.27). In a model with parenting added, dysfunctional parenting predicted all outcomes (-10 to -0.16), home learning predicted liking school (0.11) and life satisfaction (0.08), and protectiveness predicted life satisfaction (0.08). Effects of maternal distress were fully mediated, largely via dysfunctional parenting, while home learning mediated negative effects of low maternal education. Direct effects of poverty and remote location remained. Findings for mother-reported child adjustment were broadly similar.Conclusions: Unique prospective data show parenting and early childhood impact 7-year-olds' subjective well-being. They underline the benefits for children of targeting parental mental health and dysfunctional parenting, and helping parents develop skills to support children at home and school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses reports released in Scotland, "Taking Forward the Government Economic Strategy: A Discussion Paper on Tackling Poverty, Equality and Deprivation in Scotland," released by the government and "Poverty in Scotland" and "Child Poverty in Scotland," released by the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee. The first report tackled sustainable economic growth and prevention of poverty. The second focused on anti-poverty while the third report suggested that child poverty is better addressed in Scotland than in Great Britain.