Arab American Adolescents’ Responses to Perceived Discrimination: A Phenomenological Study

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face{font-family:"Cambria Math";panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:roman;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face{font-family:Times;panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:auto;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1342185562 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal{mso-style-unhide:no;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;mso-default-props:yes;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}size:8.5in 11.0in;margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;mso-header-margin:.5in;mso-footer-margin:.5in;mso-paper-source:0;}div.WordSection1{page:WordSection1;}Racial discrimination is on the rise in the United States. Arab AmericanMuslims is one group that has experienced an increase in perceived racialdiscrimination. Even less is known about Arab American Muslim Adolescents experiencesof coping when faced with racial discrimination.&nbsp; This study aims to highlight the livedexperiences of Arab American adolescents’ perceived racial discrimination as itrelates to their coping experiences. Therewere 10 (female=5; male=5) Arab American youth ages 13-17 and identifiedas Muslim. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Using aphenomenological approach, data were collected using semi-structured individualinterviews and online journals. Validity was assessed via member checks andtriangulation of data using multiple participants and sources.&nbsp; The data were analyzed using interpretivephenomenological analysis, guided by Risk and Resilience theory and CriticalRace Theory. Results highlighted three positive and three negative waysparticipants experienced coping to perceived racial discrimination.Implicationsof this study can aid psychologists in promoting positive responses to racialdiscrimination while also helping students recognize negative responses.Understanding the way an adolescent responds provides better insight into theirpsychological well-being. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Maternal Attachment and Cognitive Distortion of Muslim Adolescents in Juvenile Rehabilitation Residential Schools: Self-Regulation as Mediating Mechanism

The increase in disorderly behaviors at the adolescent stage is a major dilemma for Malaysian society as the number ofcriminal cases committed by Muslim adolescents is increasing from time to time.These unwanted behaviors may be triggered by the quality of attachmentrelationships and errors in terms of the adolescent’s cognitive interpretation. Therefore,the aim of the current study is to explore the relationship between maternal attachment(i.e., secure and insecure) and cognitive distortion of Muslim adolescents inJuvenile Rehabilitation Residential schools mediated by self-regulation. Datafrom 440 Muslim adolescents (aged between 14 and 18) from the Juvenile RehabilitationResidential schools in Malaysia were examined using the structural equation model(AMOS). The finding indicated a significant positive relationship between securematernal attachment and self-regulation as well as the relationship betweeninsecure maternal attachment and cognitive distortion, while, a significantnegative relationship was found between self-regulation and cognitivedistortion. Moreover, the indirect effect indicated that only relationshipbetween secure maternal attachment and cognitive distortion was completelymediated by self-regulation. This study suggests that secure maternalattachment was associated with higher self-regulation, which, in turn, lowerscognitive distortion among Muslim adolescents. The results may facilitateimprovements of mother-adolescent relationship and reduction of cognitivedistortion among Muslim adolescents with the guidance of their self-regulation.

From Interpersonal Violence to Institutionalized Discrimination: Documenting and Assessing the Impact of Islamophobia on Muslim Americans

Background: Muslims and people perceived as Muslims in the U.S. face Islamophobia, defined as anti-Muslim or anti-Islam sentiments. Reports of hate crimes motivated by Islamophobia have increased, as have other forms of Islamophobia, such as workplace discrimination. This qualitative study examined the impact of Islamophobia on Muslim Americans, ranging from school and workplace discrimination to policies that target Muslims, such as government surveillance. The objectives of this study were: 1) Document the spectrum of Islamophobia in the U.S.; and 2) Assess the impact of Islamophobia on Muslim Americans.Methods: Components of grounded theory guided data collection and analysis. Using a semi-structured interview guide, a total of 40 participants (20 women, 20 men) were interviewed regarding self-reported experiences with Islamophobia and responses to bias incidents. Participants self-identified as Muslim, were at least 18 years of age, and represented various ethnic groups. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Nvivo 12.Results: Findings indicate that Islamophobia and xenophobia are significant sources of long-term stress. Participants discussed physical assaults in public locations, vandalism at their homes, persistent questioning regarding their country of origin, and verbal harassment in the form of derogatory terms.Conclusion: Islamophobia in the U.S. is multifaceted and a significant source of stress for Muslim Americans. Findings from this study and others on this topic highlight the need for interventions to support Muslim Americans.

Psychological Constructs and Dysfunctional Eating in Pakistani University Students

The&nbsp;present study aims to test a model that seeks to explainhow Parental Bonding and Loneliness may be responsible&nbsp;in the developmentof Dysfunctional Eating&nbsp;Patterns such as&nbsp;Cognitive Restraint,Emotional Eating, Uncontrolled Eating,&nbsp;Drive&nbsp;toward Thinness, Bulimiaand Dissatisfaction with Body Image.&nbsp;It was further hypothesizedthat&nbsp;Metacognitions, Core beliefs andMeta-Emotions&nbsp;would&nbsp;mediate&nbsp;between&nbsp;Loneliness,&nbsp;ParentalBonding, and the aforementioned Dysfunctional Eating Patterns. Correlationalresearch design&nbsp;has been&nbsp;used. A sample of 210 university studentswas selected from government and private universities. Urdu translated versionsof UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3), Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-R-18,Eating Disorders Inventory-3, Parental Bonding&nbsp;Inventory,&nbsp;Beliefsabout Emotions Scale, Eating Disorders Belief Questionnaire&nbsp;andMetacognitions Questionnaire&nbsp;were&nbsp;used for assessment purposes.Correlational&nbsp;Analysis,&nbsp;and Multiple Hierarchical Regressionwere&nbsp;used to analyze the data.&nbsp;Almost all dimensions of&nbsp;ParentalBonding showed significant relationship with some patterns of DysfunctionalEating.&nbsp;Loneliness did not show any significant&nbsp;correlation withDysfunctional Eating.&nbsp;None&nbsp;of the hypothesized mediators(Metacognitions,&nbsp;Meta-Emotions and Core Beliefs) mediated&nbsp;therelationship between&nbsp;Parental Bonding dimensions and patterns&nbsp;ofDysfunctional Eating, yet&nbsp;some&nbsp;interesting relationships emerged.&nbsp;The findings of this research can help in understanding the culturaldifferences between East and West. Possible reasons why results could notsupport the previous literature are discussed. &nbsp;

The Relationship Between Stigma and Helping-Seeking Behaviors Among Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Immigrant (RASI) Populations Specifically of Muslim Origin

In order to understand the relationship between stigma and help-seeking behaviors in refugee, asylum seeker, and immigrant (RASI) populations in the United States, this review examines stigma and its various forms: public, perceived public, self, and stigma by association. Issues which RASI populations face when immigrating to the U.S. and the effects of integrating into a new culture on stigma are also discussed. An emphasis is placed on investigating these interactions in Muslim-specific populations in further detail due to increases in discrimination toward this group in the United States since 2016. The analysis concludes by examining ways that a counselor can actively change the course of stigma. Recommendations are proffered regarding being a culturally cognizant clinician in treating this population, which is currently seeing an increase in stigmatization in the United States.

The Relationship Between Afterlife Beliefs and Mental Wellbeing Among Jordanian Muslim Youth

Despite the centrality of afterlife reward and punishment beliefs in the religious life of Muslims, few empirical studies have sought to understand how such beliefs affect the psychological state and social behavior of Muslims. Past scant related studies have concluded that these beliefs are unhealthy, because they are positively associated with anxiety and death anxiety. This finding contradicts a central notion in Islamic theology, which states that avoiding afterlife punishment and obtaining afterlife reward is the primary motive for Muslim religiosity. The current study attempts to deepen our understanding of how Islamic afterlife reward and punishment beliefs affect the psychological state of Muslims. The study suggests that the influence of Islamic afterlife beliefs on well-being can be better understood from the perspective of meaning management theory as well as through the eudaimonistic tradition of well-being. This study has two goals: To develop the Islamic Afterlife Reward and Punishment Beliefs (IARPB) scale, and to examine the relationship between IARPB and Muslim religiosity, death anxiety, death acceptance and integrity. Data were collected from Jordanian university students (N = 605). Exploratory and confirmatory analyses support the construct validity of the IARPB Scale. IARPB positively predicted Muslim religiosity, death anxiety, death acceptance, and integrity. Results of ad hoc analysis indicated that IARPB suppresses death anxiety and amplifies death acceptance by increasing Muslim religiosity. In general, the results indicate a positive relationship between IARPB and the psychological state of Muslims. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Investigating a Relationship between Perceived Stress, Religious Coping, and Religiosity in Migrant Muslim Women

Previous research has identified the heightened amount of perceived stress experienced by migrants in the West. Muslim women specifically may be at a greater exposure to perceived stress, easily being identified as different from others due to the observance of the hijab (Ahmed, 1992). However, Muslims in the UK generally have one of the lowest rates of accessing mental health services (Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health, 2014). Current research shows the positive role religion plays in managing perceived stress and the potential development of mental health difficulties. Few studies have been conducted on migrant populations and even fewer with female Muslim migrants. The current study aimed to investigate religiosity, as a mediator of the relationship between religious coping and perceived stress in migrant Muslim women. It also aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and migration. The results found religiosity to mediate the relationship between religious coping and perceived stress, that is, individuals with higher religiosity used religious coping and had lower perceived stress. However, there was no significant relationship between experiences of migration and perceived stress. These findings provide possible directions for mental health practitioners when working with clients from such backgrounds.

Effects of Religious Discrimination and Fear for Safety on Life Satisfaction for Muslim Americans

Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between two forms of religious discrimination (religious prejudice and environmental discrimination) and life satisfaction among a sample of Muslim Americans. Based on the framework of minority stress theory, we also hypothesized that higher levels of religious prejudice as well as environmental discrimination, would significantly relate to higher fear of safety, and in turn, would relate to lower life satisfaction.&nbsp;Method: A total of 192 Muslim American participants (Age M= 27.87) completed an on-line survey about their experiences as Muslim American. Women made up almost 75% of the sample.Results: Findings revealed that higher religious prejudice as well as environmental discrimination were both significantly related to lower life satisfaction and that fear of safety partially mediated both of these relationships.&nbsp;Conclusions: &nbsp;Findings help illustrate that Muslim Americans are not immune to the social-political climate of Islamophobia and can experience religious discrimination in different ways. In addition, women and younger participants expressed higher fear of safety when compared to men and older participants. Professionals who work with individuals from the Muslim community are encouraged to consider the chronic and on-going impact of stress that Muslim Americans face especially within the context of the United States.

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining Lived Experience and Coping Strategies of Breast Cancer Survivors in Sarajevo

This study explored how women breast cancer survivors who underwent radical mastectomy experienced stress and adversity and managed their diagnosis and treatment. This study is based on semi-structured and in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of 22 participants. Qualitative analysis and discussion groups were conducted in the participant’s homes over 18 months. Thematic analysis resulted in four overarching categories that illustrated how being a woman was challenged and restructured from the participants’ personal experiences. The participants’ coping strategies were primarily reflected in their spirituality, optimism, the embrace of healthy lifestyles, and pink ribbon activism.

Politicizing Muslim Mental Health Toward a Decolonial Framework

There is a growing recognition that mental illness should be taken more seriously within Muslim communities. In this are emerging trends to Islamicise psychology or psychologise Islam, whereby the former attempts to adapt contemporary psychological practices for Muslims, while the latter endeavours to indigenise and establish a psychology rooted firmly in Islamic traditions. Yet a large body of interdisciplinary works has argued that Muslims are uniquely positioned vis-à-vis Nation-States across the Global North. There is thus a need to underscore the significance of the political which underpins the relationship between ‘Muslim’ and ‘mental health’. The political will be explored by addressing three paradigms and their particular relationship to Muslim mental health: neoliberalism, nationalism and securitisation. I argue that Muslim mental health, irrespective of approach or discipline, is unique in its ability to serve power and ensure Muslims remain productive, loyal and low-risk citizens of the Nation-State. Emerging Muslim mental health models may succeed in their stated objective—alleviate suffering or raise God consciousness—but they do not address the political dimension underlying mental health practice itself. I argue that a movement towards decolonising mental health must remain in constant dialectical resistance with dominant ideological paradigms and be rooted in an interdisciplinary praxis established upon the Islamic paradigm of trusteeship (waqf). This ensures suffering is neither commodified nor compartmentalised outside of the wider Western Muslim experience.