Orphans in Syria and Iraq Juggling Balls: Wars, COVID-19, and the NGO's financial crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic's impact varies between and within nations, causing new forms of inequality. Refugee and orphan children in conflicted areas are more likely to suffer due to poverty, vulnerability, and limited access to essential services including reduction in donor funding. This qualitative study is the first to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial crisis on Iraqi and Syrian orphaned children and their mothers. The Modified Grounded Theory was used for the preliminary analysis to expand the range of themes. This study has identified five major themes: financial crisis, low educational attainment, child labour, mental health issues, violence, and social problems. The impact of COVID-19 children and adolescents' mental health is of great concern. These multiple crises may significantly impact orphan children and adolescents' cognitive, mental health, and physical development. It is critical to address mental health issues during the current crisis and to plan for possible future pandemics and their intersecting outcomes. A Holistic approach requires providers to be aware of their clients' intersecting circumstances and needs using a range of lenses, including the person in the environment, family dynamics, culture, politics, and structural challenges. Offering food, medical supplies, and housing are considered basic needs.

Mental health issues is common, resiliency is rare: Qataris and residents' experiences with distress, traumatic symptoms, and coping during the blockade

Many people feel vulnerable and uncertain about their future during a political crisis or political instability. Nonetheless, people may choose different coping strategies, making some more resilient and others more vulnerable to mental health issues. Added to the stress caused by these political factors is that social media has become the only source of information, including intolerance, hate speech, and bigotry. Therefore, reactive strategies to traumatic events and resiliency are essential components in addressing the affected population's stress and mental health issues. Although much attention has been paid to the political blockade imposed on Qatar in 2017, little emphasis has been placed on its impact on the affected people's mental health, coping strategies, and resiliency. The study explores Qatari citizens' mental health, resilience, distress, traumatic symptoms, and coping in the context of the blockade. This study fills the knowledge gap in this area by using a mixed-method approach with 443 online surveys and 23 face-to-face interviews. Quantitative data shows women scored higher on distress than men (17.37 v 9.13, p = .009), but men scored higher on resiliency (73.63 v 68.19, p = .009). Qualitative data supported these findings. The findings will lay the foundation for clinical trials and social interventions to provide better mental health services to Qatari families directly affected by the blockade and inform mental health providers and policymakers about stress, coping strategies, and resilience during this crisis.

Palestinian Muslim College Students' Attitudes to Mental Health Treatment: A Comparative Study

This study examined the association between the degree of religiosity, combined with cultural beliefs, social stigmas, and attitudes towards mental-health treatment in two groups, who, despite having similar cultural and religious affiliation, have experienced different socio-political contexts: Palestinian Muslim college students living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Israel. The study was guided by Tanhan and Young's (2021) conceptual framework. Methods: A snowball recruitment strategy was applied, using a cross-sectional survey. A total sample size was 214 students, 105 from the OPT and 109 from Israel. Results indicate that students from the OPT (n = 105) did not differ from those living in Israel (n = 109) on religiosity using the Islamic Belief scale, or Attitudes Towards Mental Health treatment (F(1, 189) = 1.07, p = 0.30). However, students from the OPT had higher confidence in mental-health professionals (M = 15.33) than their counterparts (M = 14.59), and women had higher confidence (M = 16.03) than men (M = 13.90). The reliance on traditions for Muslim students over Western mental-health approaches is a critical factor in predicting the attitudes towards students' mental problems and their chosen treatment. Sociopolitical context played a significant role in shaping attitudes toward mental-health providers.

Gendered Citizenship, Inequality, and Well-Being: The Experience of Cross-National Families in Qatar during the Gulf Cooperation Council Crisis (2017–2021)

This study explores the impact of gendered citizenship on the well-being of cross-national families following the political blockade imposed on Qatar in 2017. More specifically, it examines how these families, women, and children face challenges related to their lives, well-being, and rights. Twenty-three face-to-face interviews were conducted with Qatari and non-Qatari women and men married to non-Qatari spouses residing in Qatar. The study’s findings revealed that Qatari women with non-Qatari husbands did not enjoy the benefits of full citizenship, further undermining their psychological well-being and their socioeconomic and legal rights. Additionally, children born before or during the blockade have become stateless and undocumented, which jeopardizes their mental and physical well-being and the prospects of their parents’ economic advancement. This study contributes to the conceptualization of and debate on gender citizenship rules and policies, which can exclude these women and children and deny them the recognition and rights they deserve. Since ensuring full citizenship rights is crucial for people’s well-being, increasing gender equality and reforming Qatar’s existing citizenship policies would benefit both groups and provide social justice for all.

Beyond the axes of inequality: Religion, race, and everything in between

This study examined the mental health outcomes of a diverse group of 549 individuals experiencing discrimination based on their multiple subordinate identities: ethnicity/race, religion, nativity, and sexual orientation. Applying an intersectionality framework, the findings provide an understanding of the impact of discrimination and racism on minority groups' mental health within the heterosexual and Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) context. Significant differences were found on levels of discrimination and racism across ethnic, racial, sexual, and gender minority groups, particularly among Muslim/Jewish, Arab/African, male, and foreign-born participants. Results suggest that subordinate identities and statuses shape the racism and discrimination experiences of the participants. The paper concludes with a discussion of practice and policy implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the STarT Back Tool for Arabic speaking adults with low back pain in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

The STarT Back Tool (Subgrouping for Targeted Treatment; SBT) was developed and validated in the United Kingdom for adults with non-specific low back pain (LBP) to provide risk stratification groups. An Arabic version has not yet been developed. Consequently, our objectives were: First, to cross-culturally adapt the SBT for use in Arabic speaking adults (SBT-Ar) with LBP. Second, to assess the face, content and construct validity of SBT-Ar against relevant reference standards.

METHODS

This was a prospective, cross-sectional study carried out in the outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital. A total of 59 participants (aged 18-60) with LBP able to read Arabic completed the questionnaire. SBT cross-cultural adaptation was performed according to published guidelines. Face and content validity were explored by individual interviews. Construct validity was assessed using pre-hypothesized correlations with relevant reference standards.

RESULTS

Following 48 individual interviews the SBT final version was reached and demonstrated face and content validity. The SBT-Ar total score and psychosocial sub-scale had acceptable internal consistency and no redundancy (Cronbach α = 0.7). Moderate Spearman's correlations were found between the SBT-Ar total score and reference standards (Arabic Pain Numeric Rating Scale NRS-Ar r = 0.50 and Arabic Oswestry Disability Index ODI-ar r = 0.51). As expected the SBT-Ar psychosocial subscale had medium to high correlations with the psychosocial reference measures (Arabic Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire Physical Activity FABQPA-Ar r = 0.41, Arabic Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety HADSA-Ar r = 0.58, Arabic Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression HADSD-Ar r = 0.45 and Arabic Pain Catastrophizing Scale PCSAr r = 0.69).The SBT-Ar showed no significant floor or ceiling effects.

CONCLUSION

This study culturally adapted and preliminary validated SBT into Arabic.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective, Cross-sectional.

Muslim Americans' safety and well-being in the wake of Trump: A public health and social justice crisis

This study examined the perceived impact of religious discrimination and Islamophobia on Muslim Americans' well-being during the 2016 United States presidential election campaign. Data were collected from a national sample of 1,130 Muslim Americans. Perceived religious discrimination (PRD) was measured using the Perceived Religious Discrimination Scale. Results of canonical correlation analysis showed that perceived Islamophobia was associated with safety (β = .45, p < .001), level of stress (β = -.25, p < .001), level of religiosity (β = -.11, p < .05), and employment (β = .11, p < .05). PRD was associated with preexposure to religious-based discrimination; β = -.12, p < .05), safety (.47, p < .001), level of stress (β = -.33, p < .001), religiosity (β = -.15, p < .010), and years in the United States (β = .16, p < .010). Results also suggest that some Muslim subgroups, such as women and older people, may face "double jeopardy" based on multiple stigmatized identities. When addressing mental health concerns in marginalized groups, it is necessary to link health with social justice and examine how social injustices may affect people's well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record

Cultural Beliefs and Service Utilization by Battered Arab Immigrant Women

This study examines the relationship between cultural beliefs and the utilization of services among Arab immigrant women. All participants ( N = 67) reported at least one act of partner abuse resulting in a consultation with various formal services. Significant correlations were found between the holding of traditional attitudes toward gender in general and wife battering in particular by the women and the utilization of formal mental ( r = .32, p = < .001), social ( r = .29, p < .05), and legal ( r = .38, p = < .001) services. The study's limitations, policy implications, and the impacts of 9/11 on the Arab immigrant community and on their use of services are discussed.

Pilot Study of Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking Among US Muslim College Students

Waterpipe smoking is common among the young in Muslim-majority countries despite recent Islamic rulings on tobacco. US Muslim college students, especially immigrants, may be at high risk for smoking, but information is lacking. In this pilot study, respondent-driven sampling was used to sample 156 Muslim college students. Waterpipe smoking was common (44.3%). Leading motivations to smoke were social and perceived low tobacco harm. Independent risk factors among the Muslim students were perception that friends and other students smoked, and ever drank alcohol. Personal belief that waterpipe smoking is prohibited in Islam was not significant. This pilot suggests that Muslim students are at high risk for waterpipe smoking and more definitive studies are needed.

Respondent-driven sampling of Muslim undergraduate U.S. college students and alcohol use: pilot study

PURPOSE

Prevention of alcohol abuse requires information about all demographic groups. However, little is known about drinking among people affiliated with proscriptive religions due to omission of religious affiliation in many surveys and challenges sampling them. Our objective was to pilot a sampling technique frequently used in the HIV literature, respondent-driven sampling, to assess potential association of alcohol use with religiosity, personal proscriptive belief, and social influences among Muslim U.S. college students.

METHODS

Self-identified Muslim undergraduate students (N = 156) at one urban commuter university completed a web-based survey.

RESULTS

Prevalence adjusted for sampling was 9.1 % (95 % CI: 0.2-17.1 %) with in-group recruitment of 0.36 for drinkers and 0.43 for abstainers. In unadjusted analyses, students who were lifetime abstainers were more likely than drinkers to hold personal proscriptive belief and strongly agree with a measure of private religiosity. There was no difference on public religiosity measures between groups. Lifelong abstainers were more likely to report fewer students, fewer Muslim students, and fewer of their friends drank alcohol. They also were more likely to report that they attended high school with more Muslims and currently live in neighborhoods with more Muslims.

CONCLUSIONS

In this pilot study, lifetime abstinence was associated with high private religiosity, personal proscriptive religious beliefs, and more proscriptive social influences. The findings suggest that respondent-driven sampling may be feasible in recruiting Muslim students. However, validation against other sampling techniques is needed.

How Muslim and non-Muslim chaplains serve Muslim patients? Does the interfaith chaplaincy model have room for Muslims' experiences?

Chaplaincy is typically practiced within the contexts of the Jewish and Christian traditions, and little attention has been paid to the influence of the Islamic perspective of nursing and caring. Therefore, many Muslim patients might not receive appropriate care for their religious and spiritual needs, especially as they relate to daily religious practices and worship, medical ethics, and end-of-life treatment choices. This study examined Muslim and non-Muslim chaplains' approaches to pastoral care used with Muslim patients in New York City hospitals. The study used in-depth interviews with 33 Muslim and non-Muslim chaplains. The results indicate areas of both convergence and divergence.

Alcohol use among U.S. Muslim college students: risk and protective factors

Drinking behavior among Muslim college students in the United States is unknown. To obtain estimates and examine risk factors, the authors conducted secondary data analysis of the public access database from the 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Two variables were associated with drinking-religious activities, which were protective against drinking, and parental approval of drinking, which was a risk factor for drinking. Although American Muslim students had a low rate of drinking in the past year (46.6%) compared to their U.S. college counterparts, they had a higher rate of alcohol consumption compared to their counterparts in predominately Muslim countries.