Thesis
Poverty, mental health and marginalisation : the role of community-based organisations in mitigating inequalities among racialised minority women within Scottish urban areas of high deprivation
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2026
- Thesis identifier
- T18133
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 202257996
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Background/Objectives: Poverty and mental health are interrelated public health priorities which disproportionately affect marginalised groups. Scotland’s policy response to reducing inequalities centres around empowering communities; however, there is scant research on how community organisations can effectively reduce poverty and improve mental health. This exploratory qualitative study investigated the role of community-based organisations (CBOs) in the lives of racialised minority women affected by poverty and adverse mental health. Method: This multi-case study involved six CBOs in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Leveraging a bricolage approach, 12 CBO key informant interviews and 27 service user participations in photovoice, interviews, and focus groups were conducted using a Community-Based Participatory Research methodology. Thematic analysis was employed, ensuring trustworthiness through community checking and researcher reflexivity. Findings & Recommendations: Women attending CBOs experience a high level of material deprivation, food insecurity and precarious employment. Intersecting ecological factors like hostile immigration sentiment, racial and patriarchal hegemony, social isolation, underemployment and childcare pressures contribute to adverse mental health. CBOs are culturally informed and intersectionally competent, providing safe spaces for mutual support and empowerment, but can create second-class services. They address the social and material needs of women by providing preventative and interventionist programmes, cultural capital, and community connectedness, but face funding shortages that limit long-term planning and capacity. The study suggests policy should promote substantive CBO funding and strategic partnerships for a coordinated effort to sustainably reduce inequalities faced by racialised minority women in Scotland. Contribution to Knowledge: This thesis contributes new knowledge by privileging marginalised women’s voices and their community organisations through dyadic inquiry. It uses a novel emancipatory bricolage approach that combines an intersectional lens, an empowerment framework, and ubuntu praxis in CBPR, creating epistemically just, culturally appropriate, and socially valuable knowledge.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Quinn, Neil
- Knifton, Lee
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Funder
Relations
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PDF of thesis T18133 | 2026-09-01 | Public | Download |