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Reports of prejudice and discrimination against Arab Americans have increased since the events of September 11, 2001 (I. Ibish, 2003). Perceived prejudice events are recognized as stressors that are linked to lowered mental health for those who experience such events (e.g., R. Clark, N. B. Anderson, V. R. Clark, & D. R. Williams, 1999; E. A. Klonoff & H. Landrine, 1995; H. Landrine & E. A. Klonoff, 1996; S. O. Utsey & J. G. Ponterotto, 1996). Thus, this study examined, with a sample of 108 Arab American individuals, (a) the relationship of reported discrimination experiences to self-esteem and psychological distress and (b) the mediating role of sense of personal control in this relationship. Consistent with hypotheses, results of path analyses indicated that sense of personal control mediated fully the link of reported discrimination experiences to self-esteem and mediated partially the link of reported discrimination experiences to psychological distress. The path models accounted for 47%-48% of the variance in self-esteem and 33% of the variance in psychological distress.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are well-positioned to address health disparities among racial-ethnic minority communities, given their focus on stress reduction and potential for greater accessibility and acceptability than conventional mental health treatments. Yet, there are currently no peer-reviewed studies of MBIs in an Arab, Middle Eastern, or North African (MENA) American sample. Addressing this gap in the literature is critical for advancing integrative health equity, given the high burden of stress and high prevalence of stress-related health conditions among Arab/MENA Americans. OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to explore perceptions of mindfulness among Arab/MENA Americans and identify potential cultural adaptations to MBIs for this population. METHODS: 4 focus groups were conducted with 26 Arab/MENA American adults who had participated in an introductory mindfulness workshop. Participants were asked about their experience learning mindfulness skills, the usefulness of mindfulness for problems they face, the alignment of mindfulness with their cultural values and practices, and suggestions for adapting mindfulness programs. Qualitative coding of focus group session transcriptions was conducted to identify themes in the data. CONCLUSION: The participants in this study described experiencing high levels of stress and identified micro- and macro-level stressors related to their Arab/MENA American identity, including discrimination, exclusion, historical and intergenerational trauma, and protracted sociopolitical crises in their heritage countries. They viewed mindfulness as a potentially useful approach to coping with stress. At the same time, participants identified aspects of mindfulness that could be adjusted to better align with their cultural values and experiences. Potential adaptations to MBIs for Arab/MENA Americans were identified based on suggestions from participants and issues they raised while discussing cultural strengths, stressors they face, and perceived barriers and facilitators to engaging in mindfulness practice.

Objectives. To estimate the odds of having cognitive difficulties among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) American adults and compare these odds with those of White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander adults nationally and in the 4 states with the largest MENA populations (California, New York, Michigan, and Texas) after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Methods. We analyzed 2017–2021 American Community Survey data (aged ≥ 45 years; n = 7 284 988), comparing presence of cognitive difficulties by race/ethnicity. Results. MENA adults had greater odds of reporting cognitive difficulties than did White (odds ratio [OR] = 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42, 1.56), Black (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.14, 1.26), Hispanic (OR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.39, 1.53), Asian (OR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.25, 1.38), and AI/AN (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.14) adults. In all 4 states, odds of having cognitive difficulties were higher among MENA than Asian adults. Other racial/ethnic comparisons differed by state. Conclusions. A separate checkbox for MENA Americans approved by the Office of Management and Budget is important so health outcomes can be studied in more detail and funds can be allocated for research and resources at state and national levels. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(11):1265–1274. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307803) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Background Method Results Conclusion Implications To assess the feasibility of implementing a culturally responsive version of Gottman's Seven Principles relationship education program in a community‐based setting for married Arab American adults.To provide high‐quality couple and relationship education, it is necessary to acknowledge the population's needs and cultural backgrounds. One ethnic minority group that needs special attention is the Arab American community, which shares protective factors in terms of family support, religious beliefs, resiliency, and collectivist culture.We adapted Gottman's Seven Principles Program and conducted a qualitative feasibility study to examine recruitment capability, program acceptability, demand, and participant response among 16 Arab American married adults.The results emphasize the vital role that thoughtful cultural and linguistic program adaptation played in increasing the acceptability and engagement of Arab American participants. However, results identified the ongoing stigma in Arab American communities against overtly seeking help for marital issues.This feasibility study provides helpful methodological and practical guidance to inform the design of larger scale randomized trials examining the efficacy of culturally responsive marriage education programs.This study outlined actionable strategies, adaptations, venues, and communication channels to reduce barriers and optimize the delivery of marriage education to Arab American couples and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which depression severity, gender, acculturation, and enculturation are associated with help-seeking attitudes among Arab/Middle Eastern North African (MENA) Americans. A hierarchical linear regression was conducted with a sample of 296 Arab/MENA participants (154 women and 142 men). After controlling for pertinent demographic variables, depression severity was negatively associated with help-seeking. Further, there was a significant three-way interaction between depression severity, gender, and enculturation on help-seeking attitudes. For women with higher levels of depression symptoms, higher levels of enculturation were associated with less positive help-seeking attitudes; conversely, higher levels of enculturation for men were associated with more positive help-seeking attitudes. These results have significant implications for clinicians working with Arab/MENA American populations. Practitioners should be aware of acculturation and enculturation processes as well as the ways in which depression symptom severity may influence engagement in treatment differentially for Arab/MENA women and men. Future research is needed to examine the mechanisms underlying these relationships. Public Significance Statement: This study suggests that depression severity and gender influence help-seeking attitudes among Arab/Middle Easter North African Americans. Further, enculturation affected this relationship so that higher levels of enculturation indicated less positive help-seeking attitudes for women and more positive help-seeking attitudes for men. These relationships have significant implications for practitioners providing culturally sensitive treatment when working with this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have increasingly identified a growing concern in the lack of attention given to factors intertwined with the mental health and well‐being of Arab‐American youth. To circumvent this problem, we applied a community‐based participatory research (CBPR) design to a sample of Arab‐American youth with the mean age of 13.72 years. We discuss the implications for professional counseling and other mental health interventions with Arab‐American youth, as well as provide directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a lack of research on the Arab American population despite a noted increase in divorce and marital discord among Arabs and Arab American couples. Moreover, knowledge is limited on ways to enhance existing couple-based treatments to become more sensitive toward the unique intersection that Arab American couples are faced with. One consideration when improving treatment is to examine and better understand the negative attributions Arab American spouses make about each other's behavior, as they can be detrimental to the satisfaction of the relationship. In this study, a sample of 142 married Arab Americans were asked to complete the Relationship Attribution Measure, Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). A large portion of the participants fell within the distressed range of the DAS. Attributions, especially motivations and blame, were significant predictors of relationship satisfaction. Both causal and responsibility attributions were associated with depression, while only responsibility attributions were associated with anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of how future research and couple-based interventions can integrate cultural considerations within this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Population aging has led to an increased interest in cognitive health and, in particular, the role that stress plays in cognitive disparities. This paper extends previous work by characterizing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stress type prevalence and its association with cognitive health in metro-Detroit among Black, Middle Eastern/Arab (MENA), and White older adults. Research Design and Methods Data come from a regionally representative sample of adults aged 65+ in metro-Detroit (N = 600; MENA n = 199; Black n = 205; White n = 196). We used generalized linear models to compare groups on sociodemographic, objective stress, and social stress indicators. Multiple group structural equation models evaluated whether COVID-19 stress predicted cognitive health and whether that association varied across racial/ethnic groups. Results MENA and Black older adults reported higher levels of objective stress than Whites. There were no racial/ethnic group differences in social stress. More objective stress was associated with better cognitive health, and more social stress was associated with worse cognitive health. The positive effect of objective stress was especially apparent for White older adults. Discussion and Implications Though it appears that minority stress was not exacerbated in the context of pandemic stress, links between greater objective stress and better cognitive health apparent among White older adults were not evident among MENA or Black older adults. Broadening health disparities research by including underrepresented populations allows us to elevate scientific knowledge by clarifying what is universal and what is unique about the stress process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe romantic relationship of Arab American couples have been noticeably excluded from the research literature. Intersection between fidelity, commitment, and relational satisfaction, along with contextual factors for Arab Americans has not been addressed in research. In this paper, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between relational satisfaction and commitment and fidelity among Arab American couples. Our findings indicated that there are positive correlations among relational satisfaction, commitment, and fidelity and revealed that relational satisfaction significantly predicts Arab American couple’s commitment and fidelity. Future directions are provided to encourage clinicians to provide culturally sensitive care to advocate needs for Arab American clients and suggest future researchers to expand different aspects (gender roles, gender differences, or religion) further their understanding and different methodology to capture Arab American couples’ lived romantic relationship experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay considers how a transnational feminist literary practice, one that proceeds through the modality of rereading and rewriting, opens up the meaning and possibilities for the right to self-determination, against and beyond the settler state sovereignty into which it has hardened. It examines the 1995 short story "My Elizabeth," by the Arab American writer Diana Abu-Jaber, as an unexpected source of political theory, which rewrites self-determination from the perspective of occupied peoples—namely, Native peoples in the United States and Palestinians—subject to ongoing settler colonialism. Abu-Jaber's portrait of intimacies between subjects "in transit" imagines how "radical futures past" become the source of alternate affective and political communities in the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narratives of travel are part of world literature and cultural history. Scholarly research on migrant narratives and literature is a subfield of intercultural studies and comparative literature which allow cultures to bond and interact. Written histories of Arab Americans start with the Foundational Period (1880-1920) which revolves around the early immigrants from Historical Syria. This period is one of the least documented eras which is still difficult to reconstruct due to its many gaps and various obstacles. This paper examines the strategies and approaches used by Philip Hitti, the founder of Arabic Studies in the United States, who established the master models and approaches for the study of the Syro-Lebanese immigrant community. This model is based on locating alternative sources that include ̶in addition to official sources and written accounts ̶ folksongs, literary texts, popular stories, and personal memories. It makes use of them to reconstruct the history of this community, which is characterized by its rich popular culture and long tradition of story-telling. There may be polemics and prejudices in presenting the wealth of the oral and cultural tradition of Historical Syria’s communities in the mainstream popular and official narratives about Arabs and Muslims. When presented with scholarly research and comparative perspectives, immigrants’ narratives can have a valuable contribution to world literature on immigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disparaging rhetoric about Arab people was prevalent during Donald Trump's political rise in the United States. Although this rhetoric was intended to energize conservative Americans, it also echoed throughout many liberal parts of the United States and around the world. In this research, we experimentally examined the effects of such rhetoric on American and Arab people's attitudes and visual representations of each other before and after Trump was elected. Although people overwhelmingly reported not liking the negative rhetoric, the rhetoric alone did not influence explicit and implicit intergroup biases in either location, as measured by feeling thermometers and Implicit Association Tests. However, the election outcome moderated the way rhetoric influenced how American and Arab people visually represented each other. Our research sheds light on nuanced effects of global politics on various information processing stages within intergroup perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following 9/11, the United States, led at the time by the George W. Bush administration, formulated and disseminated a political narrative replete with falsehoods and rigid binaries intended to justify changes to its domestic and foreign policy. That narrative was based on Orientalist tropes and American exceptionalism – ideas which have been part of American political discourse for more than a century. Two post-9/11 multi-narrator novels – Laila Halaby's Once in a Promised Land (2007) and Laila Lalami's The Other Americans (2019) – respond to the dominant political narrative by deconstructing the binaries it is based on and by demonstrating its harmfulness to American society. Through close readings that analyze the ideological implications of the polyphonic novel form, this paper reveals that Halaby's and Lalami's novels implicate the narrative in the destructive political polarization of the 2000s and the 2010s while subverting persistent modes of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment. Mikhail Bakhtin's notions of polyphony and dialogism, as well as Jody Byrd's concept of cacophony, clarify the ways that narration is used in Once in a Promised Land and The Other Americans to enable the indictment of the post-9/11 narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal bonding with the infant and child is essential for the growth and development of the child, and for establishing the relationship between them. The effect of maternal acculturative stress, trauma, and depressive symptoms on maternal bonding has been established in nonimmigrant populations, but not in immigrant and refugee populations. In this study, we aimed to (1) examine the relationships among maternal psychosocial stress (acculturative stress, posttraumatic stress), depressive symptoms, and maternal bonding, and (2) examine whether maternal depression is a mediator of the relationship between maternal psychosocial stress and maternal bonding among a sample of Arab American immigrant and refugee mothers. Using a cross‐sectional design, we recruited 78 immigrant and refugee Arab American mothers. Acculturative stress was correlated with posttraumatic stress (ρ = 0.56, p < 0.001), depressive symptoms (ρ = 0.48, p < 0.001), and bonding impairment (ρ = 0.39, p < 0.001). Posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms were also correlated with maternal bonding impairment (ρ = 0.39, and 0.52, respectively, p < 0.001 for both). The effect of maternal psychosocial stress on maternal bonding was mediated by depressive symptoms. We concluded that higher levels of acculturative stress and posttraumatic stress were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and impairment of maternal bonding. Additionally, maternal depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between maternal stress and bonding. Assessing the stressors and depressive symptoms of immigrant and refugee mothers is key to avoiding negative effects on child outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of mental health problems among young adults is widely recognized. However, limited research has examined the mental health of Arab American young adults specifically. To address this gap in the literature, this study aimed to investigate the effects of multiple stressors including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), discrimination, and bullying victimization on the mental health of first‐ and second‐generation Arab American young adults. The participants (N = 162) were recruited from a Midwest university using online and in‐person methods. They were screened and completed a demographic questionnaire and self‐report measures of ACEs, discrimination, bullying victimization, and mental health. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the effect of psychosocial stressors on mental health and the moderating effect of generation (first vs. second) on that relationship. Female gender, increased perceived discrimination, and more ACEs were associated with lower mental health scores (β = −0.316, p < 0.001, β = −0.308, p < 0.001, and β = −0.230, p = 0.002, respectively). There was a significant negative relationship between victimization and mental health for first‐generation Arab Americans (β = −0.356, p = 0.010). However, that association all but disappeared for second‐generation participants (β = 0.006, p = 0.953). The results highlight the impact of multiple adversities on Arab American young adults' mental health and indicate important nuances related to their generation in the association between bullying victimization and mental health. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the first to document the historical significance of the Indianapolis-based Syrian Ark , the official newspaper of the Midwest Federation of Syrian American Clubs from 1936 to 1954. Extant copies of the periodical provide a detailed record of Arab, Syrian, and Lebanese midwestern life in the middle twentieth century. Using elements of Thomas A. Tweed's spatial theory of "crossing and dwelling," author Edward E. Curtis IV analyzes how the newspaper's editor, correspondents, and other contributors moved across and inhabited local, regional, national, and diasporic spaces in their reporting. He argues that the Syrian Ark 's collective mapping of Arab American dwelling or "homemaking" in the shared public culture of the U.S. Midwest and U.S. nation-state was co-constituted through inhabiting the terrestrial space of diasporic Arab nationalist identity and the cosmological aspirations of religious ecumenism. The article illustrates this thesis by showing how the coverage of multiple midwestern locales in the Syrian Ark constructed a sense of Arab belonging to an ideal midwestern "hometown" of economic prosperity and strong civic engagement; how the newspaper's deep U.S. patriotism was joined to grassroots Arab diasporic nationalism, including activism on behalf of Palestinian liberty; and how the periodical created a cosmological home of religious ecumenism that sought to bring Muslims and Christians together across the Arab diaspora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of multiple stressors on immigrant young adults' endocrine functioning and health outcomes has not been comprehensively investigated. Aims: This study tested a theoretical model of cumulative and current stressor effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among Arab American young adults. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, we recruited 160 participants, ages 18 to 24 years, from an urban university in the Midwest. Cumulative stress was assessed by self-report measures of childhood adversity, bullying victimization, and perceived ethnic discrimination. Current perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) while cortisol levels were measured in participants' hair. Structural equation modeling tested the effects of cumulative and current stress on cortisol and HRQL. Results: Cumulative stress was negatively associated with HRQL (standardized path coefficient = −.51, p <.05). Interestingly, however, cumulative stress was inversely associated with hair cortisol level (standardized path coefficient = −.51, p <.05). Current stress was positively associated with cortisol level (standardized path coefficient =.43, p <.05) and negatively associated with the mental HRQL (standardized path coefficient < −.37, p <.05). Conclusion: Cumulative stress exhibited a different effect on HPA functioning from current perceived stress. Mental health was significantly impaired by both cumulative and current perceived stress. Implications for mental health nursing practice and research among Arab Americans are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Recent evidence suggests Arab Americans, individuals with ancestry from Arabic-speaking countries, have an elevated risk for CVD compared to other ethnicities in the US. However, research focusing specifically on CVD in this population is limited. This literature review synthesizes studies investigating CVD prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes in Arab Americans. Multiple studies found higher rates of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension compared to non-Hispanic White participants. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes, a major CVD risk factor, was also markedly higher, ranging from 16 % to 41 % in Arab Americans based on objective measures. Possible explanations include high rates of vitamin D deficiency, genetic factors, and poor diabetes control. Other metabolic factors like dyslipidemia and obesity did not consistently differ from general population estimates. Psychosocial factors may further increase CVD risk, including acculturative stress, discrimination, low health literacy, and barriers to healthcare access. Smoking, especially waterpipe use, was more prevalent in Arab American men. Though heterogenous, Arab Americans overall appear to have elevated CVD risk, warranting tailored screening and management. Culturally appropriate educational initiatives on CVD prevention are greatly needed. Future directions include better characterizing CVD prevalence across Arab American subgroups, delineating genetic and environmental factors underlying increased diabetes susceptibility, and testing culturally tailored interventions to mitigate CVD risks. In summary, this review highlights concerning CVD disparities in Arab Americans and underscores the need for group-specific research and preventive strategies.

Problem: Existing bullying research among Arab Americans is limited, focusing mainly on school‐age adolescents and victimization. There is a lack of studies that examine retrospective bullying perpetration, bullying victimization, and physical fights during high school and their effect on current Arab American college students' stress and health outcomes. This study examines if bullying perpetration, bullying victimization, and physical fights during high school predict current stress and the physical and mental health of Arab American college students. In addition, we examined if perceived psychological stress mediates the relationships between bullying and fighting involvement and health. Methods: One hundred and sixty‐two undergraduate Arab American college students were recruited from a Midwestern university and completed self‐report measures of bullying, stress, and health (both physical and mental). Findings: Controlling for demographic variables, only high school victimization was significantly associated with current stress and physical and mental health. Stress fully mediated the relationship between victimization and health (both physical and mental). Conclusions: Victimization during high school years may result in serious physical and mental health consequences during college years. However, perpetration and fighting may not have similar effects. Addressing stress among bullying victims may reduce the negative impact of this experience on immigrant Arab American college students. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review provides an overview of cancer interventions implemented with Arab Americans across the cancer control continuum, including an examination of outcomes and implementation processes. The search strategy included database searching and reviewing reference lists and forward citations to identify articles describing interventions with Arab adults living in the US, with no restrictions on date of publication or research methodology. The review included 23 papers describing 12 unique cancer interventions. Most interventions focused on individual-level determinants of breast and cervical cancer screening; used non-quasi-experimental research designs to evaluate intervention effectiveness; and demonstrated improvements in short-term cancer screening knowledge. Implementation processes were less commonly described. Most interventions were culturally and linguistically tailored to communities of focus; were delivered in educational sessions in community settings; engaged with the community mostly for recruitment and implementation; and were funded by foundation grants. Suggestions for research and intervention development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will present the evidence for two newly discovered words, gawzag and shagar , meaning "two-horse chariot/mail coach" and "wagon" respectively in the eastern Arabian dialect of Qaṭrāyīth (Syriac for "in Qatari") of the seventh and eighth centuries ce. They reveal the continued local knowledge of wheeled transport in Arabia and possible use long after its supposed disappearance in the Near East between the fourth and sixth centuries according to Richard Bulliet's well-known thesis in his seminal work The Camel and the Wheel (New York: Columbia University Press, 1990). The fact that this vernacular maintained two specific words for two different modes of wheeled transport likely suggests a practical need for them in everyday communication among the inhabitants of the Beth Qaṭraye region (Syriac for "region of the Qataris" in north-eastern Arabia). Moreover, their use in an Arabic dialect reveals that native words were developed for wheeled vehicles in the local language spoken by the inhabitants of the area well before the adoption of markabah as a neologism to mean chariot in nineteenth-century Arabic, according to Michael Macdonald's stimulating article "Wheels in a land of camels" (Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 20/2, 2009). Thus, the various rock drawings of two-wheeled carts and chariots in northern Arabia may in fact not only have been known but also used nearby in eastern Arabia, rather than being inaccurate representations reflecting a distant awareness of the existence of chariots elsewhere such as in Mesopotamia and Egypt as had been previously thought. This is a literary, philological. and historical study that aims at presenting newly discovered vocabulary in context for further analysis by linguists and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known of HPV vaccination (HPVV) recommendation practices among healthcare providers who treat the Arab American community. Evidence indicates that HPVV patient uptake is low in this population. A survey was administered to healthcare providers (N = 46, 63% response rate) who treated ≥ 5% Arab American patients aged 9–26 years in areas of New York City and New Jersey with large Arab American populations. They were asked about barriers to HPVV recommendation and uptake among their Arab American patients. Providers (Doctors of Medicine and Osteopathy, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants) mostly worked in pediatrics (41%), primary care/internal medicine (26%), obstetrics/gynecology (20%), and family medicine (15%). Most (91%) were confident in their ability to effectively counsel their patients on HPVV. The most frequent provider-reported barriers to administering the HPVV to Arab American patients were patient cultural/religious practices (reported by 67%) and patient and provider difficulties with insurance reimbursement (44%). Most providers (84%) agreed that organizations/programs to increase HPVV uptake among Arab American patients were needed. Providers felt that HPVV uptake could be increased with educational materials in the patients' native languages ("very useful," 81%) and provider cultural competency training ("very useful," 65%). In responses to open-ended questions, cultural and religious HPVV barriers were a salient topic, as were linguistic barriers and provider burdens related to HPVV costs and regulations. HPVV uptake could potentially be improved with Arabic language education materials, provider education that is culturally and linguistically tailored to the Arab American community, and policies to address HPVV financial and regulatory burdens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though Palestine—as place, national aspiration, conflict, refugee crisis, political-cultural cause—stands at the institutional origin of the fields of Arab American literary study and Arab American studies more generally, Palestinian American literature itself has mostly not yet become a discrete object of disciplinary study. Palestinian American authors have not been ignored, but scholarly analysis of their work often proceeds under the authority of other legitimizing frameworks—with Palestinian American literature instrumentalized as capital for other ideological projects—even as identity became a primary currency in academic literary study in the decolonial era. This has limited opportunities to examine disciplinary mechanisms of institution-formation. A robust theory of Palestinian American literature contests the critical overdetermination suffered by an emergent Palestinian American literary archive that has expanded substantially since 2001, supporting a dynamic field of dedicated literary scholarship that refuses to be subordinated to a project of territorial nationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betty Shamieh's Roar (2005) and Yussef El Guindi's Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith (2009) exemplify early twenty-first-century Arab American family dramas that grapple with the intersecting dilemmas of Arab diasporic experience in the United States. Reading the family as a metaphor for the Arab diaspora, I argue that these plays serve as sites of contradiction and negotiation, exploring intra-communal conflicts that stem from differing relationships to homeland, host nation, and community. In this article, I contextualize Shamieh's and El Guindi's plays within the long history of Arab Americans navigating US racial frameworks, immigrant sentiment, and systemic bias. I further propose that these family dramas can be read as allegories of a diasporic public, Arab American or otherwise, that imagine ways of responding to the challenges of acculturation and survival in the diaspora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle Eastern and Arab countries have been experiencing significant advancements in scientific research and development over the past few decades. Understanding the trends, patterns, and impact of research within this region can provide valuable insights into its scientific landscape, identify areas of strength, and uncover potential areas for improvement. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research productivity in the Middle Eastern and Arab region over a 20-year period. The findings revealed a consistent increase in research productivity, yet mapped significant disparities between countries in scholarly output, excellence, and impact. Adjusting for population size and GDP, Iran displayed the highest publication activity, trailed by Egypt and Turkey. Delving into the distribution of research output across different journal quartiles, the results revealed that this region has a lower percentage of scholarly output published in high-impact journals (both the top 10% and the top 25% categories). Compared to North America and the European Union, the Middle Eastern and Arab region consistently exhibited lower performance in terms of top 10% citations, average citations per publication, and field-weighted citation impact. The field of physical sciences took the lead as the most prevalent subject area in the Middle Eastern and Arab region, comprising about 60.5% of the research emphasis. Conversely, social sciences garnered comparatively less research attention, making up approximately 8.9% of the focus. The region showed strong international collaboration levels (40.5%), yet relatively low national (24.4%) and academic–corporate collaborations (1.5%). The outcomes of this study can facilitate international comparisons and benchmarking, allowing Middle Eastern and Arab countries to position themselves within the global scientific community. There remains a need to prioritize quality over quantity by emphasizing rigorous research practices and collaboration. An ongoing evaluation of research performance using a combination of indicators can help track progress and adjust strategies as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a journal article titled "Arab Studies Quarterly" from Volume 46, Number 2, Spring 2024. It includes articles on various topics such as Native Palestinian ecology, the Arab American polyphonic novel, and the US response to China's assertiveness in the Middle East. The journal also features book reviews and brief summaries of books. It is a peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the Arabs, their culture, history, and institutions. The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the Center for the Study of Muslim and Arab Worlds. [Extracted from the article]

There has been a lack of research on the Arab American population despite a noted increase in divorce and marital discord among Arabs and Arab American couples. Moreover, knowledge is limited on ways to enhance existing couple-based treatments to become more sensitive toward the unique intersection that Arab American couples are faced with. One consideration when improving treatment is to examine and better understand the negative attributions Arab American spouses make about each other’s behavior, as they can be detrimental to the satisfaction of the relationship. In this study, a sample of 142 married Arab Americans were asked to complete the Relationship Attribution Measure, Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). A large portion of the participants fell within the distressed range of the DAS. Attributions, especially motivations and blame, were significant predictors of relationship satisfaction. Both causal and responsibility attributions were associated with depression, while only responsibility attributions were associated with anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of how future research and couple-based interventions can integrate cultural considerations within this group.

As a literary text, The Book of Collateral Damage (2019) by Arab American novelist Sinan Antoon effectively represents the psychological impact of the Iraq War in 2003. This article utilizes trauma theory to explore how the war narrative in Antoon's novel probes the event of this war to represent the experiences that Iraqi individuals had from living through it. By analyzing Antoon's embodiment for the trauma of the Iraqis and their memory crisis, the impasse of survival for the protagonist, Wadood, as well as the symptoms and features of his traumatic experience, the article argues that Antoon significantly represents in The Book of Collateral Damage how the Iraqis were traumatized by both the experience and memory of the Iraq War. Wadood's story accentuates that the novel focuses on representing history in connection with war impact through investigating how the lives of individuals in Iraq became caught in the shadows of the Iraq War that haunted them with bitter memory, which they faced a difficulty to cope with and foregrounded their traumatic experiences. These individuals ultimately realized that their lives were impacted not only by their individual trauma but also by the collective trauma in their homeland, intersecting with their trauma. Therefore, they were left with one option; either to collapse psychologically, or to handle the determining factors of their personal history and the history of their country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The report addresses the nature of the transformation in the Russian role in the region during the last decade. The report highlights the main variables of such transformation. It includes Russian military intervention in Syria, its cooperation with OPEC to price global energy, the growing need to expand its international relations with key Arab countries, and the sale of Russian weapons to the armies of some Arab countries. The report indicates that Russia has opened broader areas of cooperation with many Arab countries due to Western sanctions imposed as a repercussion of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The report indicates the growth of relations, but it reveals Russia's regional strategic trends based on achieving gains and mobilizing to restore balance in the international system and its composition. In the end, the report also indicated that Russia's short and medium-term capabilities do not indicate that it can be a parallel or alternative to the United States, in light of the deep relations and agreements between the USA and most Arab countries. The results of its intervention in Syria, the Ukrainian war, and coexistence with sanctions by the West will constitute a significant determinant in judging the potential development of its role in the region during the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS), using placental cell‐free DNA from a maternal blood sample, is currently the most sensitive and specific screening tool for detecting common fetal aneuploidies. The aim of this study was to compare the rates of "atypical" single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐based NIPS results and subsequent pregnancy outcomes between Arab American and non‐Arab American patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant Arab and non‐Arab American patients who had SNP‐based NIPS performed between September 2018 and January 2021 at an urban health system in Michigan. The rate of "atypical" results and other perinatal outcomes were compared between groups using descriptive statistics. "Atypical" results due to multifetal gestations, either undisclosed or unknown at time of ordering, were excluded. Five thousand eight hundred and seventy‐three patients underwent SNP‐based NIPS: 771 (13.1%) were identified as Arab American, 5102 (86.9%) were non‐Arab American, and 49 (0.8%) patients received "atypical" results. Arab patients represented only 13.1% of patients screened (771/5873) but had a significantly higher rate of "atypical" results than non‐Arab American patients (17/771 [2.2%] vs. 32/5102 [0.6%]; p < 0.001). Of the 17 Arab patients with "atypical" results, 9 (52.9%) were in known consanguineous relationships. No major congenital anomalies or chromosomal aberrations were identified for any patients who had "atypical" results, and no significant differences in other perinatal outcomes were observed between Arab and non‐Arab American patients. A better understanding of the association between consanguinity and "atypical" SNP‐based NIPS results would aid in appropriate test selection and interpretation and may help physicians and genetic counselors provide better perinatal counseling and follow‐up care for patients in consanguineous relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background : Cigarette smoking rates have decreased in the United States, particularly in California. Despite representing a large population in the United States and particularly in California, Arab Americans are not typically assessed in tobacco-related health studies. Disparately high smoking rates have been found in community samples of Arab Americans. In a formative participatory research study, we aimed to assess experiences with tobacco products and access to cessation and prevention services for Arab Americans who use commercial tobacco products. Methods : In partnership with a community advisory board, we conducted a brief survey of adult Northern California Arab Americans who use tobacco products, both men and women (n = 101), followed by assets mapping to identify services, and focus groups with a subset of survey participants (n = 30), to assess tobacco product use, readiness to quit, and access to culturally appropriate cessation services. Results : The majority of people who smoked did so daily. Waterpipe use was as common as cigarette smoking, and more so for women. Intent to quit was offset by highly normative tobacco use in the social environment, and limited access to culturally appropriate cessation services. Conclusions : Improvement in outreach and services specific to Arab Americans may support prevention and cessation of commercial tobacco products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Despite the need to consider multiple sources of evidence to guide locally and culturally relevant interventions, few studies have documented the process by which evidence is integrated. Objectives : We leveraged a community–academic partnership to describe a participatory approach to integrating community and academic sources of evidence to inform cancer programming priorities in the Arab American (ArA) community in Southwest Chicago. Methods : Informed by Intervention Mapping, this study comprised three phases led by community and academic partners: 1) qualitative assessment of cancer-related priorities through eight focus groups with 48 ArA community members, 2) a focused literature review to identify models of cancer interventions implemented with ArAs, and 3) integration of focus group and literature review findings and development of a strategy for a community-based cancer program administered by the community partner. Results : Focus groups revealed attitudes and beliefs across the cancer control continuum. The literature review highlighted two cancer interventions utilizing education, community health workers, and patient navigation components. Through facilitated discussions with community partners, we integrated community and academic sources of evidence to develop a comprehensive cancer program plan that is informed by the data we generated as well as our community partners' preferences and organizational capacity. Conclusions : Our participatory approach for integrating community and academic sources of evidence generated a locally relevant strategy to address cancer burden in the ArA community in Chicago. We discuss the benefits and challenges of utilizing this approach in intervention development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]