Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

College of Psychology

First Advisor

Alexandru Cuc

Second Advisor

Soledad Arguelles-Borge

Third Advisor

Christian DeLucia

Fourth Advisor

Lourdes Suarez-Morales

Keywords

Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, Anxiety, Arab, Arab American, Depression

Abstract

Arab Americans, those who themselves or their ancestors have immigrated fromthe Middle East or North Africa to the United States, experience a lot of stress as a result of balancing varying cultures, known as acculturative stress. Due to the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Arabs in Americans, as well as the taboo that exists in the Arab culture regarding poor mental health and seeking mental health services, the mental health impacts of acculturation stress among this population are scarcely studied. This dissertation aims to further understand ways in which acculturative stress impacts early generational Arab American adults, including immigrants and refugees, specifically in reference to depression and anxiety. The proposed method combines quantitative research, having surveyed Arab American adults from the metropolitan area of Michigan, a state with one of the highest concentration of Arabs outside the Middle East (Hassoun, 2005). Results of this study indicated relatively low levels of acculturative stress among 123 Arab American participants, suggesting a generally adaptive acculturation process among Arab American living in Michigan. Notably, anxiety levels were elevated among both male and female Arab Americans compared to the broader U.S. adult population. While generational status did not yield significant disparities in anxiety or depression levels among Arab Americans in Michigan, country of birth, gender, and age did. Finally, county of residence within Michigan emerged as a significant factor influencing cultural identity among this sample, underscoring the impact of community context on cultural identity formation among Arab Americans in Michigan. Keywords: Arab American, Acculturation, Acculturative Stress

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