This article explores the nature and impact of stigmatisation upon Russian and Russian-speaking migrants living in Scotland. It is based upon data gathered from 19 interviews with Russians and Russian-speakers living in the Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire and Central Belt regions of Scotland. Ongoing conflict in Syria and Ukraine has worsened relations between the UK and Russia, while EU enlargement and, latterly, the ‘refugee crisis’ have fuelled hostile attitudes towards migrants. Russians and Russian-speakers liv-ing in Scotland therefore face two potential sources of stigma, firstly because of a (perceived) associa-tion with the actions of the Russian state and, secondly, because they are often misidentified as Polish and are consequently regarded as threatening the availability of resources such as jobs, housing, ben-efits and school places (Pijpers 2006; Spigelman 2013). The article explores how people respond to such stigmatisation, emphasising the complexity of engaging with misdirected stigma. It is suggested that stigma – and the way in which people respond to it – is situational and context-specific in that it is significantly influenced by the identity, background and perspective of the stigmatised person. Also in-vestigated is the wider impact of stigma on Russian and Russian-speaking migrants’ lives, highlighting the emotional and social insecurities that can result from stigmatisation. Drawing on anthropological theories of social security (Caldwell 2007; von Benda-Beckmann and von Benda-Beckmann 2000), the article suggests that robust social support, particularly from people who are local to the host country, can mitigate the negative effects of stigmatisation.

This article is an attempt to apply the conceptual framework of social stigma and some specific strategies of coping with stigma, for the interpretations of interviews with young Jehovah’s Witnesses, representing high schools from Bialystok. According to several studies, the followers of the Watchtower Society – compared to members of other churches and religious – are faced with the most negative reactions of social audience, not only in Poland but also in other countries around the world. The presence of religion class in Polish schools produces specific conditions, in which the student religious identity becomes visible. Therefore, everyday classroom experiences of such students can be – compared to catholic majority and other religious minorities – much more difficult, involving not only potential negative stereotyping, but also the problem of how to deal with the school structural conditions, sometimes clearly being in conflict with the requirements of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion.

The stigma of Ornithogalum sigmoideum is of dry and papillate type. The papillae are covered by a cuticle-pellicle layer, as revealed by staining. The activity of nonspecific esterase, acid phosphatase and peroxidase increases in the pellicle during the receptivity period. The style of O. sigmoideum is of the hollow type. Ultrastructural study of the cells lining the canal indicated that they are secretory cells and contain abundant endoplasmic reticulum, dictyosomes, mitochondria, plastids and ribosomes. After anthesis these organelles show degeneration at the end of the secretory phase. In canal cells, cytochemical tests showed the presence of acidic polyanions, insoluble and acidic polysaccharides, proteins and lipids. Before anthesis the canal cells are rich in polysaccharides, proteins and lipids. At maturity the cuticle is ruptured and secretory materials from the canal cells are released into the canal. In the unpollinated style of O. sigmoideum the exudates accumulated in the center of the canal; in pollinated pistils the same secretion materials were dispersed through the canal, which became wider.

Previous research has shown the importance of time perspectives (TP) in future-oriented decision making. However, the possible associations between time perspectives and seeking out psychological help in need have not been examined extensively, especially taking further influencing factors into consideration. Therefore, this study aimed to assess associations between personal time perspectives, stigma, socio-economic factors, and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (ATTSPPH) in a sample of adults in the general population in Hungary (N=273) aged 18-84 (mean=28.47, SD= 10.31). Multivariate regression analyses found that attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help were inversely associated with stigma, and residing outside of the capital city and positively associated with female gender. None of the time perspectives were associated with help-seeking. The results are discussed regarding the importance of mental health in Hungary.