Acculturative Stress and Social Support Among Immigrant Arab American Adolescents in East Tennessee

The study investigated sources and levels of acculturative stress among immigrant Arab American adolescents, and sources of social and emotional support that may mitigate acculturation-related stressors. The purposive sample (N=230) consisted of Arab American youth, 11-17 years of age, most of whom attended public schools in a moderate-sized city in East Tennessee, USA. Respondents were balanced in terms of gender, most were 13-17 years old, and were middle and high school-aged students. Over half were born in one of 16 different Arab countries, mainly Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. They had lived in the United States for 1-17 years, with a mean of 9.4 years, and most had lived in the State of Tennessee for 1-2 years. Using a non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design, the investigator used a modified instrument based on Kang (1996) and Thomas & Choi’s (2006) surveys that measured acculturative stress and social support. Participants were found to have experienced moderate to high levels of acculturative stress, particularly related to racial prejudice and stereotypes. Strongest sources of social support were from parents and friends, and the lowest levels were from American social organizations and religious organizations. Parent social support had an inverse relationship with acculturative stress, but Arab cultural organizations and American social organizations were found to increase acculturative stress. The research highlighted the pervasiveness of immigrant acculturative stress among this group and the potential for negative mental health consequences. Implications are discussed regarding the need for evidence-based and culturally appropriate interventions for immigrant Arab American youth and strategies for mitigating acculturative stressors they face, including those manifested by bullying and harassment in schools. The study also highlights the need for Arab-friendly curricula in schools that celebrate and respect Arab history and culture, and teach similar values to young people in attendance

The Living Conditions of Syrian Asylum Seekers in Jordan's Governorates Outside Camps and the Motives to Immigrate to Europe

Since the Syrian crisis began ten years ago, 5.6 million Syrians have been forced to flee to neighboring countries. Jordan is not a member of the 1951 Geneva Refugee convention, so Syrians are treated as asylum seekers rather than refugees. This study explores Syrian asylum seekers’ experiences and challenges in Jordan, including the sectors of housing, education, healthcare services, and employment to understand why they are motivated to seek asylum in Europe. Through semi-structured interviews with 30 Syrian asylum seekers living in four Jordanian governorates outside camps, the goal is to elucidate the drivers that motivate them to seek asylum in Europe. The findings emphasize the importance of education and work permits both of which are considered major push factors or drivers for immigration. The narratives provide a contextual understanding of the immigration crisis from the voices of the refugees themselves, which in turn will contribute to the knowledge base of immigration literature and enhance the support for the Syrian asylum seekers in the host community of Jordan

The Living Conditions of Syrian Asylum Seekers in Jordan's Governorates Outside Camps and the Motives to Immigrate to Europe

Since the Syrian crisis began ten years ago, 5.6 million Syrians have been forced to flee to neighboring countries. Jordan is not a member of the 1951 Geneva Refugee convention, so Syrians are treated as asylum seekers rather than refugees. This study explores Syrian asylum seekers' experiences and challenges in Jordan, including the sectors of housing, education, healthcare services, and employment to understand why they are motivated to seek asylum in Europe. Through semi-structured interviews with 30 Syrian asylum seekers living in four Jordanian governorates outside camps, the goal is to elucidate the drivers that motivate them to seek asylum in Europe. The findings emphasize the importance of education and work permits both of which are considered major push factors or drivers for immigration. The narratives provide a contextual understanding of the immigration crisis from the voices of the refugees themselves, which in turn will contribute to the knowledge base of immigration literature and enhance the support for the Syrian asylum seekers in the host community of Jordan

Service providers' perspectives on working with Syrian women refugees in Germany and Jordan

Project Financed by DAAD under the Programme Hochschulkooperationen mit Jordanien und dem Libanon zur Unterstützung von syrischem Hochschul-personal (2021-2022); for the project ‘Transnationalism and Localisation in Social Work: Focus on Syrian Refugees’

Arabic version of the MGL scale.

DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.20228133. (DOCX)</p

Reliability (N = 201).

Reliability (N = 201).</p

Clinical characteristics and medication adherence of the study population (N = 201).

Clinical characteristics and medication adherence of the study population (N = 201).</p