eTheses
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This community contains an online collection of PhD theses and selected undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations written by QMU students and researchers.
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Item #LOCALFOOD: A MULTIMETHOD ANALYSIS ON THE PROMOTION OF LOCAL FOOD IN SCOTLAND BY SCOTTISH INFLUENCERS ON INSTAGRAM(2025) Ishaq, MaryamThis research aims to analyse the role Scottish Foodie Influencers as producers play in promoting local food in Scotland through their everyday lifestyle presentations on Instagram, as well as considering how they use Instagram as a tool to facilitate this communicative practice. This research utilises two methods of data collection to analyse how Influencers promote local food on Instagram: Qualitative semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of their promotional content on Instagram. This research demonstrates how Influencers reproduce social norms about local food through their lifestyle presentation by portraying local food as a distinctive consumer practice that they encourage their followers to emulate. Despite also being motivated by a desire to support local food businesses in Scotland based on their connection to their local area, Influencers still promoted a perception of locality in Scotland that they acknowledged was financially and culturally inaccessible to many. Influencers also adhered to the aesthetic norms of Instagram by constructing an imagined local on Instagram that appealed to the aesthetic conventions of the platform. This style of visual representation prioritised the visual quality of local food over other markers of quality that leaves any discourse around locality as an ethical food practice to promote heritagisation and re-localisation largely absent from the promotion of local food in Scotland on Instagram. This research demonstrates the importance of analysing the effectiveness of a given social media platform in generating a space for online food discourse. These conclusions contribute to the growing scholarship around the digitalization of food and how specific social media platforms play a role in shaping online food discourses. How local food in Scotland is communicated through its aesthetic representations by Scottish Foodie Influencers on Instagram highlights how the conventions of a given social media platform can transform a food practice originally grounded in ethical consumption into a greater emphasis on the social distinction local food can provide consumers in Scotland.Item PREHABILITATION FOR RECREATIONAL RUNNERS: DEVELOPMENT OF AN INJURY RISK REDUCTION STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK(2025-12) Queen Margaret University, EdinburghRunning-related injuries (RRI) currently remain higher than other sports which have adopted injury risk reduction practices. The overarching aim of this PhD by retrospective publication was to develop a prehabilitation intervention for recreational runners with recommendations for best practice implementation. Intervention development is mapped to the Medical Council Research (MRC) framework for complex interventions and Context Matters Sequence of Prevention Framework and underpins the sequence of research comprising five published studies using a range of methodologies to (1) investigate factors associated with RRI (2) establish views, perceptions and engagement of RRI injury risk reduction practices from stakeholders (3) review literature for efficacy of exercise-based injury prevention programmes in sport (4) compile and map all injury reduction strategies specific to runners and methods of delivery. Findings from this body of work outline development, feasibility and evaluation of an injury risk reduction intervention for recreational runners and proposes a framework that maps with the Capability Opportunity Motivation Model of Behaviour Change. This supports a multifaceted intervention addressing the complexity of RRI, with personalized approach to runners’ needs and risk profiles and supervision appearing critical for runners’ engagement. Moving forwards prehabilitation for runners will be implemented to a larger scale study providing novice recreational runners within social running environments with the “capability” to learn using health care professional endorsed resources, modules and supervised guidance from running coaches. Providing “opportunity” for coaches via a train the trainer approach to support runners, alongside digital technologies can help promote self-efficacy and “motivation” for ongoing behaviour change.Item FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND GRANTS AND DONATIONS: THE CASE OF CHARITY-RUN SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN SCOTLAND(2025-12) SIMPSON, EUNICE YAWAThis research investigates the impact of trading results on the funding gap of charity-run social enterprises in Scotland, a crucial topic given the significant decline in public funding for charities. Between 2009-10 and 2020-21, government and local authority funding for charities fell by 23%, equating to a £13.2bn cut (University, 2021) This substantial reduction, a consequence of the global recession, has created a serious funding deficit and survival challenges for charities. To address this pressing issue, a number of charities in Scotland are actively engaging in social enterprise activities, aiming to generate profits to support their parent charities. This study examines the effectiveness of these social enterprises in alleviating the funding gaps of their parent charities, exploring the sustainability of their financial operations and identifying critical success factors and challenges they encounter. The research is framed within the theoretical framework of hybridity and institutional logic, providing a lens through which to understand the complex interplay between social mission and market forces within these organisations. Employing a critical realist framework, the study utilises an abductive approach and a concurrent mixed-method design. Both primary and secondary data sources are employed, including interviews with senior management staff and board members, as well as archival quantitative information covering twelve years from 2011 to 2022. The study reveals that social enterprises in Scotland are indeed narrowing the funding gaps faced by their parent charities. However, a significant finding is that only around 25% of these social enterprises currently appear to be financially sustainable, and even then, at a relatively small margin. Furthermore, the research identifies ten critical success factors and ten challenges that characterise the operation of social enterprises. The findings of this research contribute significantly to the body of knowledge in the field of charity-run social enterprise financial sustainability, providing valuable information for practitioners and researchers. The findings also hold relevance for informing the Scottish Government's third sector policy in supporting social enterprises, contributing to the sector's growth as outlined in its ten-year strategic plan 2016-2026. This research, however, highlights the need for further investigation with a larger sample size to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the financial sustainability of charity-run social enterprises in Scotland.Item The use of dramatherapy to enhance self-perception and outlooks on the future with older persons: A systematic literature review.(Queen Margaret University, 2024) UnknownThe process of aging involves numerous challenges, changes, and losses, which may be detrimental to the mental health of older persons. Ageist attitudes further complicate older persons’ mental health concerns from not only an individual perspective, but also on a larger systemic scale, resulting in barriers to access adequate support. Dramatherapy may provide an alternative approach to current psychotherapy interventions, but evidence specifically detailing dramatherapy’s potential benefits relating to older persons’ self-perception and outlooks on the future warrant exploration and evaluation. Systematic review of literature using PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted December 2023 – January 2024 across seven databases and one journal. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, sources were narrowed to a total of twelve. All relevant data was extracted and summarised providing an overview of the current research landscape in the field of dramatherapy with older persons. Although the amount of research-based literature on the subject of dramatherapy intervention with older persons is limited, a fair amount of evidence supports positive outcomes for older persons’ mental health. Particularly, participation in dramatherapy may be effective in enhancing older persons’ self-perceptions and outlooks on the future. However, a great deal of the research may not meet acceptable expectations regarding quality and robustness. Further research is necessary to substantiate current evidence before clear conclusions referring to implications and recommendations can be made to direct future research, practice, and policy.Item Dramatherapist. Clowndoctor. Person. An Interwoven Process of Becoming. Reflections on parallel journeys in Dramatherapy and Clowndoctor training, with consideration to how clowning has influenced my practice as an emerging therapist.(Queen Margaret University, 2025) UnknownThis a/r/tography autoethnographic study explores the unique experience of undertaking a dramatherapy training course alongside training and working as a professional clowndoctor. It will examine some of the parallels of these professions, and use art-based enquiry and reflective journalling to explore the impact and potential of this simultaneous training journey, both on the professional identity and skillset of the individual, and with regards to the sense of self and personhood of the practitioner. Clowning in healthcare environments has grown in visibility and reputation in recent decades, but is still a relatively unknown area of the health and wellbeing professions for most. Associations with the circus clown or garish party entertainment can colour perceptions of what is a nuanced and delicate role focused on authentic connection for the purpose of emotional healing - though there is a growing evidence base to support the value and impact of such work. Dramatherapy - offering many parallels in literature, ethos, and approach – has its own history of sitting awkwardly alongside more Westernised medical models of healing. And though an established wealth of evidence-backed theory and practice now exists, this struggle of where dramatherapy is placed within existing models remains. This research project looks at practitioner as participant, and through the lens of a clowndoctor visit structure attempts to illuminate moments of profound personal and professional growth across the timeframe of a two year MSc Dramatherapy training programme. Findings will be examined alongside concepts of personhood and becoming, and wider reflections are offered with regards to the potential implications or implementations of this work within dramatherapy training.Item The Body Knows What the Mind Can’t Yet See Dramatherapy and The Transformation of Developmental Trauma – A Systematic Review(Queen Margaret University, 2025) UnknownTrauma experienced during early relational and neurological development, can leave enduring imprints on the body, mind, and sense of self. Traditional models of intervention are often symptom focused and rely on verbal processing and cognitive insight. Such interventions may be inaccessible or insufficient for individuals whose trauma is held somatically, or whose nervous system remains dysregulated. This systematic review explores how dramatherapy—a relational, embodied, and creative form of psychotherapy—can support the transformation of developmental trauma across the lifespan. Seven peer-reviewed studies were analysed, spanning participants aged 4 to 70. Findings reveal that while dramatic play, sensory engagement, and symbolic expression can offer potent avenues for regulation and meaning-making, therapeutic outcomes are strongly influenced by the temporal distance from trauma, the client’s developmental stage, and the socio-political context in which therapy occurs. Dramatherapy emerged as particularly effective in fostering safety, attunement, and gradual integration through embodied and symbolic exploration means—especially for those unable to articulate their experiences directly. Though limited by the heterogeneity of included studies, the review highlights dramatherapy’s unique capacity to meet trauma not just where it began, but where it is still lived. It considers the case for the recognition of developmental trauma as a distinct category requiring tailored, bodyinformed interventions. Additionally, it positions dramatherapy as a uniquely versatile modality capable of working with the diverse needs of trauma experienced individuals.Item Ritual Reclamation: Exploring the role of ritual in dramatherapy for renegotiating trauma in ritual abuse survivors towards recovery(Queen Margaret University, 2024) UnknownThe use of ritual theatre models of dramatherapy in working with survivors of ritual abuse is largely undocumented and frequently limited in clinical practice. This paper focuses on a single case study which explores the role of ritual models of dramatherapy in renegotiating trauma in survivors of ritual abuse. The case study applies a phenomenological approach using narrative thematic analysis to consider the lived experience and storytelling approach of the client. Emerging themes of boundaried existence, disconnection and ‘unfurling the knot’ are highlighted. The case study examines and details how these themes emerged and how they transitioned in the recovery process of the client. Related areas of research are explored in a review of the current literature with this case study aiming to add to the field of knowledge in this specific intersection of the research. The outcomes of this study show that particularities of narrative expression through individual ritual creation, the use of aesthetic distancing as a guiding principle for intervening in trauma symptoms and the explicit use of ritual models of dramatherapy with this client population have the potential to transform ritual’s role of abuser to one of empowerment in recovery through reclamation.Item Oedipus in the City: An Autoethnographic Exploration of the Role of Image and Performative Process in Developing a Mentalizing Stance within Dramatherapy(Queen Margaret University, 2025) UnknownMentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) is a form of psychotherapy that shares similar goals with dramatherapy, particularly in fostering reflective functioning and understanding internal states. However, the intersection between MBT and dramatherapy has not yet been widely explored. In this arts-based, autoethnographic study, I investigate my lived experience as an emerging dramatherapist learning to integrate MBT principles within a practice-based learning context. Using creative tools familiar from dramatherapy — including play texts, visual imagery, performative processes, and story-making — I explored how data generated through art-making could enhance the mentalization of my developing professional identity. Through undertaking this research, I realised that consciously adapting arts-based methods to support mentalizing significantly strengthened my reflective functioning. The findings highlight a rich potential for dialogue between dramatherapy and MBT, suggesting that arts-based pathways can enrich reflective practice and professional development by integrating therapeutic creativity more intentionally into clinical frameworks.Item Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Dramatherapy for Chronic Pain: A Case Study Analysis in a Holistic Health Environment(Queen Margaret University, 2024) UnknownChronic pain refers to persistent discomfort that lasts for an extended period of time, typically beyond three months, and which often has no obvious underlying injury. Chronic pain not only burdens the body but also inflicts substantial psychological strain, that can extend to evoke depression and anxiety. The absence of an obvious underlying injury may generate a societal stigma around chronic pain that compounds the mental health challenges, often leaving individuals feeling misunderstood and isolated. Current medical treatment of chronic pain often relies heavily on opioid medications, which can lead to dependency, tolerance, and potentially dangerous side effects. Holistic approaches and alternative therapies are not always readily accessible or prioritized. New accessible methods to treat chronic pain are urgently required. The overall aim of this project is to explore the link between mind and body in chronic pain treatment using dramatherapy. Additionally, how integrating dramatherapy as part of a 'holistic' approach affects therapeutic aims and potential has been examined. The literature on chronic pain, psychological processes, trauma, and dramatherapy interventions to inform therapeutic practice has been reviewed. A case study has been explored through clinical vignettes and analysis. Three major themes emerge that underlie the potential successful use of dramatherapy in chronic pain:- (1) Establishing client safety in a therapeutic alliance is critical to explore unconscious shamed aspects of self and to encourage a healthful relationship with pain and the body. (2) Character projection can be effective in generating self-compassion in acknowledging the grief generated by chronic pain. (3) Holistic approaches offer containment and facilitate connecting emotional life with the body. Together, these findings support the use of dramatherapy to support client’s dysregulated mind and body in chronic pain. While not immediately alleviating the pain, dramatherapy may nonetheless provide physical, emotional, and psychological support for well-being and merits further investigation.Item An exploration into what individual drama therapy offers a child presenting with developmental trauma in a Scottish primary school: a case study.(Queen Margaret University, 2024) UnknownDramatherapy is a creative form of psychotherapy and is gaining recognition as a treatment for children and young people. However, less is known about the influences of dramatherapy on children presenting with developmental trauma (DT), particularly at school-age level. This study explored the influences of dramatherapy on a child presenting with developmental trauma (DT) in a Scottish primary school. Developmental trauma is a term used to describe the impact of early repeated trauma and loss caused by abuse or neglect. DT in children may affect their emotional, cognitive behavioural and relational abilities. In schools, DT results in children who may be disruptive, aggressive, and disengaged. The challenging behaviour of children affected by DT impacts pupils and staff. Through critical reflection on an individual case study and the use of hermeneutic phenomenology, this project found that within the dramatherapy space the use of dramatic processes equipped the child with the tools to selfregulate, feel safe and reveal parts of his lifeworld. The unconditional positive regard and acceptance from the therapist builds trust and creates the enabling conditions that influence the effectiveness of therapy. The study acknowledges the necessity of the dramatherapist being part of the integrated system of support that surrounds a child and explores how the effectiveness of the therapy is impacted if holistic support is missing. The findings of this case study add to the growing body of research that dramatherapy has significant benefits for children struggling with the consequences of DT. It highlights the advantages of dramatherapy in school settings, which is yet to be a regular practice within Scottish schools.