Interparental differences in attitudes to cultural changes in Kuwait

Interparental conflict is an example of interpersonal disagreements that arise between those who adhere to the traditions of the indigenous Arab culture and those who accept the more liberal attitudes conveyed by the imported Western culture. Interparental attitude conflict over family relationships, methods of marriage and emancipation of women is positively associated with Kuwaiti nationality, urban residence and greater interparental age difference. It is the degree of conflict in attitudes rather than liberal attitudes as such that is associated with an excess of reported psychiatric symptoms

Inter-generational conflict and psychiatric symptoms

Secondary school pupils and their parents were investigated using the scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ–28) and by a questionnaire designed to study attitudes involved in inter-generational conflict in psychiatric patients. Parent-pupil and interparental conflict in answers to the attitude questionnaires were taken as measures of inter-generational and intra-generational conflicts respectively. The former significantly exceeded the latter. Parent-student conflict was higher when the students involved were females, Kuwaiti, or had less educated fathers. The tendency of the number of reported GHQ symptoms to be higher in members of families with higher inter-generational conflict did not reach statistical significance. There is an apparent discrepancy between this finding and the prominence of inter-generational conflict in clinical material

Oral contraceptives, sociocultural beliefs and psychiatric symptoms

The occurence of psychiatric symptoms as detected by the General Health Questionnaire was examined in three groups of Moslem women. Those who used oral contraceptives were compared to those who used local contraceptives and those using no contraceptives in relation to their beliefs about prohibition of contraception by the Islamic religious code and/or about possible health hazards of contraception. Those who held one or both sets of adverse beliefs had significantly more symptoms. However the fact that women on oral contraceptives had most symptoms has been attributed to the repetitive nature of pill-taking acting as a reminder of the presumed adversity and/or to the biochemical effects of oral contraceptives

Oral contraceptives, sociocultural beliefs and psychiatric symptoms

The occurence of psychiatric symptoms as detected by the General Health Questionnaire was examined in three groups of Moslem women. Those who used oral contraceptives were compared to those who used local contraceptives and those using no contraceptives in relation to their beliefs about prohibition of contraception by the Islamic religious code and/or about possible health hazards of contraception. Those who held one or both sets of adverse beliefs had significantly more symptoms. However the fact that women on oral contraceptives had most symptoms has been attributed to the repetitive nature of pill-taking acting as a reminder of the presumed adversity and/or to the biochemical effects of oral contraceptives.contraception Islamic religion health hazards psychiatric symptoms