Editorial

Abstract

Arabs have been migrants for centuries (Aboud, 2002). Arab-Australians are a small minority group, yet have significantly contributed to the cultural and social life of Australia. However, ongoing global conflicts, particularly recent terrorist attacks, have led to Arabs becoming a focus for prejudice and rac- ism (Mason, 2004; Poynting & Noble, 2004). Indeed, as a result of these conflicts, some community controversy has arisen regarding perceptions of Arabs' and Muslims' compat- ibility with Australian society. Stereotyping is associated with prejudice and racism, and despite the diversity of the Arab-Australian community, media stereotyping is powerful and can affect many aspects of quality of life for Arab-Australians (Mason, 2004; Poynting & Noble, 2004).Older Arab migrants may be particularly vul- nerable to the negative effects of racism and ste- reotyping, and at higher risk of social isolation and experience decreased ability to benefit from healthcare services. Older Arab-Australians are expected to be among the top five ethnic elderly groups by 2026 (Gibson et al., 2001), yet, lit- erature on healthcare needs and quality of life of this vulnerable group in Australia is scarce.HealtH disparities in older migrantsAlthough cultural diversity has added to the productivity and richness of contemporary Australia, there are some data to suggest health disparities among some cultural groups, pri- marily associated with limited access (Brach & Fraserirector, 2000). To date, we have l imited knowledge of the healthcare needs of older Australians from culturally diverse backgrounds (Davidson et al., 2004; Rao, Warburton, & Bartlett, 2006), though it is suggested that providing effective healthcare for older peo- ple from ethnic minorities can be challenging (Susman, Riquelme, Godwin, & Greer, 2006). Furthermore, older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are not a homogenous group and this heterogeneity presents challenges when developing and deliv- ering effective models of services (Radermacher, Feldman, & Browning, 2009). These challenges include a higher prevalence of chronic and dis- abling diseases, limited ability to access services in the community, and difficulty in participat- ing in medical decision making (Susman et al., 2006), as well as issues associated with linguistic and cultural difference.Cultural factors have a significant impact in influencing the perception of health issues among ethnic migrant groups (Abdulrahim & Ajrouch, 2010). Understanding the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of minority groups is critical for devel- oping culturally competent models of care and for improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities (Pamies & Nsiah-Kumi, 2009). Service development and delivery for older migrants need to be responsive to 'special' ethno-specific needs (Radermacher et al., 2009).Internationally, studies on older Arab migrants' health issues are limited. According to Aboul-Enein and Aboul-Enein (2010), Arabs and Middle Eastern populations are among the least studied ethnic groups in the United States (US) in relation to healthcare inequalities. They have also reported that healthcare professionals in the US viewed Middle Eastern/Arab patients as difficult to work with due to the general lack of familiarity with the distinctive cultural char- acteristics of these ethnic groups. In fact, Arab immigrants are diverse and not uniformly dis- advantaged in their health (Read, Amick, & Donato, 2005). Although people from the Middle East and Arabic background can be racially different, healthcare professionals may perceive people from the Middle East and Arabic backgrounds as homogenous (Aboul-Enein & Aboul-Enein, 2010).impact of migration on psycHological HealtH of arabsArabs have migrated to many different coun- tries, particularly in the West. Predominantly, Arabs migrated as a result of wars, racial and ethnic tensions, political and social instability, and poverty and economic hardship (Nydell, 2006). …