Arabic-speaking Backgrounds Research Articles

Perceived facilitators and barriers to the uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among adolescents of Arabic-speaking mothers in NSW, Australia: A qualitative study

BackgroundAustralia has a large immigrant population but there is little data regarding whether human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage in adolescents varies according to parents’ cultural or ethnic background. This work aims to identify facilitators and barriers to HPV vaccination of adolescents as perceived by Arabic-speaking mothers in Western Sydney, South Western Sydney and Wollongong, NSW, Australia. MethodsA purposive sampling approach was applied to recruit mothers of adolescents from Arabic speaking backgrounds who had at least one child eligible for the HPV school-based vaccination program. Face-to-face semi-structured well as online interviews were conducted in Arabic between April 2021 and July 2021. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English and examined using thematic analysis. ResultsSixteen mothers of adolescents from Arabic backgrounds described facilitators and barriers to HPV vaccination. A) Facilitators of HPV vaccination included: knowledge of HPV disease, trust in the school vaccination program, opportunistic recommendations from healthcare workers, information from friends. B) Barriers to accessing HPV vaccination included communication gaps: breakdown in school-parent information flow, lack of access to the Arabic language version of the information sheet, mother - GP communication barriers, mother–child communication gap; and health system gaps: missed opportunities for vaccination. C) Mothers’ suggestions to improve HPV vaccination acceptance: to involve religious and cultural leadership, encourage engagement with GPs, and provide school-based education for parents and students. ConclusionParents could benefit from assistance with HPV vaccination decision making. Interventions via schools, health professionals and religious and cultural organisations could play important roles in HPV vaccination acceptance for Arabic speaking immigrant families and in introducing their adolescent children to this vaccine.

Family language planning strategies among Australian families of Arabic-speaking background

ABSTRACT This paper explores the language planning strategies employed by Australian transnational families of Arabic-speaking backgrounds to develop their children’s bilingualism in English and Arabic. The paper concludes that the families’ transnationalism and strong links with their countries of origin played a significant role in their language planning decisions. The study revealed that the mothers consciously developed their children’s bilingualism by means of both planned and spontaneous language management strategies. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion revealed that the mothers used five main strategies, which comprised using the minority language at home, language mixing, reading stories, taking advantage of television shows and travelling to their hometowns. This paper discusses the validity and success of each strategy by comparing them with research findings on other transnational and migrant families around the world.

Impact of Parental Primary Spoken Language on Postoperative Pain Management in Children, a Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Healthcare providers encounter varying languages every day in patient care. The goal of this study was to examine whether a difference exists in pain scoring and treatment amongst pediatric patients whose families’ primary language was not English. We hypothesized that patients of both Arabic-speaking (AS) and Spanish-speaking (SS) backgrounds received higher pain scores and higher daily opioid equivalents (OEs) postoperatively compared to English-speaking (ES) patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing surgery for treatment of various esophageal and airway disorders from 2014 to 2019. Records were queried for patients undergoing thoracotomies for treatment of esophageal and airway disorders. Analysis was focused on the three most common languages in this selected population: English, Arabic, and Spanish. Propensity score matching was utilized for comparisons of pain scores between AS, SS, and ES patient groups. Primary outcomes were opioid equivalents (OEs) and pain scores postoperatively. Multivariable median regression analysis was used to perform an adjusted comparison of pain scores as well as OEs. Results: A total of 610 patient encounters were included in our analysis. In propensity matched analysis, there were no significant differences in OEs between all groups postoperatively. However, statistically significant higher pain scores were reported in the ES group matched AS groups. Conclusions: Language differences did not lead to difference in pain assessment and treatment.

Working with Arab women with PTSD: what do we know?

ABSTRACT Objective Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterised by a range of symptoms including acute stress, flashbacks and avoidance of situations that trigger trauma. Women from Arabic-speaking backgrounds have been shown to have a higher likelihood of developing PTSD due to life stressors experienced. Method This paper aimed to provide an overview of the experiences and social circumstances of Arab women experiencing PTSD in Australia. Results Family, gender roles, religion, mental health stigma, trauma, re-settlement challenges, acculturation and discrimination were some of the factors explored in this review. The paper also aimed to review evidence-based treatment for PTSD such as cognitive behavioural therapy, narrative exposure and eye movement desensitisation therapy and whether these westernised approaches can extend to women from Arab backgrounds. Directions for culturally appropriate interventions and how to adapt treatments to suit the needs of individuals from the Arab community experiencing PTSD are discussed as well as considerations for specifically supporting women from Arab backgrounds who need treatment. Conclusions Future avenues for research are canvassed and discussed within. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) Women from Arabic speaking backgrounds in Western countries have been shown to have a higher likelihood of developing PTSD due to the life stressors that they have experienced. (2) Particular life stressors include migration and acculturation stressors, marginalisation, financial concerns, family responsibilities and for some, family violence which can exacerbate distress and contribute to the expression of PTSD symptoms. (3) No effective PTSD treatments for Arab populations in general, let alone Arab women have been identified in research. What this topic adds: (1) Effective mental health treatment for Arab women must take into consideration certain cultural values such as family, women’s role/status and stigmas around mental health. (2) Some of the main factors to consider include beliefs and values, communication and language, shame, strict gender roles and religious healing. (3) There is a significant need for immediate future research to be conducted for this community.

Evaluation of \u2018Shisha No Thanks\u2019 \u2013 a co-design social marketing campaign on the harms of waterpipe smoking

BackgroundWaterpipe (shisha) is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, particularly among young people; and in some countries, it is one of the few forms of tobacco use that is increasing. While there is a growing body of evidence of the harms of waterpipe smoke, there is a scarcity of research of interventions to address this form of tobacco consumption.MethodsThe Shisha No Thanks project was a co-design social marketing campaign that aimed to raise awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking among young people from an Arabic speaking background in Sydney, Australia. The campaign distributed material through social media and community events. We evaluated the project through an SMS community panel using a longitudinal study design. The cohort were sent questions before and after the project asking about their awareness of messages of harms, attitudes, intention to reduce waterpipe smoking, and awareness of support services. Data was analysed as matched pre- post- data.ResultsThe evaluation recruited 133 people to the panel. There was a significantly greater proportion of people who reported seeing, hearing or reading something about the harms of waterpipe smoking after the campaign (67.5%) compared with before (45.0%) (p=0.003). Post-campaign, there were higher proportions of people who strongly agreed that waterpipe smoking causes damage, and that it contains cancer-causing substances, but these increases were not statistically significant. There was low awareness of waterpipe cessation services at baseline and post campaign (22.5%).ConclusionsThe Shisha No Thanks project increased awareness of messages about the harms of waterpipe smoking. Although this is a small study, the longitudinal evaluation findings have international relevance and make a useful contribution to the understanding of the impact such interventions can have in addressing one of the few forms of tobacco use that is growing in both developed and developing countries.

A Case Study of an SMS Text Message Community Panel Survey and Its Potential for Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic many traditional methods of data collection, such as intercept surveys or focus groups, are not feasible. This paper proposes that establishing community panels through SMS text messages may be a useful method during the pandemic, by describing a case study of how an innovative SMS text message community panel was used for the “Shisha No Thanks” project to collect data from young adults of Arabic-speaking background about their attitudes on the harms of waterpipe smoking. Participants were asked to complete an initial recruitment survey, and then subsequently sent 1 survey question per week. The study recruited 133 participants to the SMS text message community panel and the mean response rate for each question was 73.0% (97.1/133) (range 76/133 [57.1%] to 112/133 [84.2%]). The SMS text message community panel approach is not suited for all populations, nor for all types of inquiry, particularly due to limitations of the type of responses that it allows and the required access to mobile devices. However, it is a rapid method for data collection, and therefore during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can provide service providers and policymakers with timely information to inform public health responses. In addition, this method negates the need for in-person interactions and allows for longitudinal data collection. It may be useful in supplementing other community needs assessment activities, and may be particularly relevant for people who are considered to be more difficult to reach, particularly young people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and other groups that might otherwise be missed by traditional methods.

An evaluation of a mental health literacy course for Arabic speaking religious and community leaders in Australia: effects on posttraumatic stress disorder related knowledge, attitudes and help-seeking

BackgroundAustralia is an ethnically diverse nation with one of the largest refugee resettlement programs worldwide, including high numbers of refugees with an Arabic speaking background. Evidence suggests that refugees can demonstrate high levels of psychological distress and are at a higher risk of developing mental illness such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Notwithstanding, research has also shown Arabic speaking refugees have lower levels of professional help-seeking behaviours, postulated to be related to mental health literacy levels.MethodsA culturally sensitive mental health literacy (MHL) training program was developed and delivered in Arabic to Arabic speaking religious and community leaders using a 1-day training workshop format. An uncontrolled pre-, and post study design was used to provide a preliminary evaluation of improvement in PTSD-related knowledge, attitudes and help-seeking measures.ResultsA total of 54 adults were trained, with 52 completing the pre- and post-intervention questionnaire. Significant differences were found post-training in measures such as the ability to recognise mental health problems (p = 0.035) and an increased recognition of the role that medication can play in the treatment of PTSD (p = 0.00). Further, an improvement in negative attitudes such as a desire for social distance (p = 0.042) was noted and participants reported more helpful strategies in line with promoting professional help-seeking following training (p = 0.032).ConclusionOur findings indicated the training led to an improvement of some measures of MHL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the MHL program has been tailored for Arabic speaking religious and community leaders; who assist refugees with an Arabic background. By equipping community leaders with the knowledge to better respond to mental health problems, the overall goal of improving the mental health outcomes of Arabic speaking refugee communities is closer to being realised.

Validity of self-reported anthropometrics in Arabic-speaking adults in Australia.

Body mass index (BMI) is generally accepted as a useful measurement for monitoring risk factors in adults. Although self-reported anthropometric measurements are deemed to be more cost-effective, its accuracy has been debated. While BMI based on self-reported measures may have to be relied on, accuracy of reporting such measures among culturally and linguistically diverse groups is unknown. Face-to-face surveys were conducted among 272 adults of Arabic-speaking backgrounds living in south western Sydney using non-probability sampling to collect data for directly measured and self-reported BMI. Agreement between both measures was determined by the Cohen's kappa coefficient analyses. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the differences in median values between both measures. The Bland-Altman analysis was conducted to identify the limits of agreement between both measurements. There was substantial agreement between both self-reported and directly measured data (kappa = 0.70). Significant small median differences were found between both direct and self-reported overall BMI measure (27.58 vs 27.34; P<.0001) with a significantly greater median difference for females compared to males (0.76 vs 0.38kg/m2 ; P=.05). However, the 95% limits of agreement were moderately large for BMI (-5.1 and 6.4). Self-reported data for height and weight are generally appropriate for calculating BMI for health promotion interventions among adults from Arabic-speaking backgrounds but should be used cautiously when assessing BMI status at the individual level. SO WHAT?: When limited resources are available for accomplishing health promotion interventions, self-reporting measures may be used as a proxy for assessing BMI.

“It would be nice if someone took the load off you” Arabic-speaking new-Australian mothers and the challenges of heritage language maintenance

Despite a general expectation for immigrants to Australia to shift quickly to the use of English, many new-Australian families maintain strong attachments to their heritage languages. Little research has explored how recently arrived families of Arabic-speaking background in Australia preserve their heritage language while acquiring proficiency in English. In this paper, we report on part of a study that explored the family language policies of four Arab-Australian mothers as they negotiated their new language reality. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews revealed that the participating mothers considered it vitally important for their children to be proficient in both English and Arabic and they employed a range of strategies for developing their children’s bilingualism. However, they also acknowledged that maintaining their children’s heritage language could be difficult and stressful. Our paper offers insights into family language policy and the challenges of heritage language maintenance for bilingual immigrant mothers in assimilationist contexts.

Workplace psychosocial stressors experienced by migrant workers in Australia: A cross-sectional study.

ObjectiveTo explore work-related psychosocial stressors among people of Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic-speaking backgrounds currently working in Australia.MethodsIn 2015, a telephone survey of 585 Vietnamese, Chinese and Arabic-speaking workers asked about workplace bullying, ethnic discrimination, job complexity, degree of control, security and fairness of payment along with demographic and employment information. Estimates of job-related psychosocial stressors were derived and regression analyses used to identify significant associations.ResultsAt least one workplace stressor was reported by 83% of the workers in the study. Education was significantly associated with experiencing any psychosocial stressor and also with the total number of stressors. Workers aged 45 years and older were more likely to be bullied or experience racial discrimination compared with younger workers of any ethnicity. There was a greater likelihood of reporting low control over a job when the interview was conducted in a language other than English and the workers were either Chinese or Arabic. Workers on a fixed-term contract, independent of ethnicity were more likely to report a job with low security. Overall psychosocial job quality decreased with education and was associated with occupation type which interacted with ethnicity and gender.ConclusionsThe results suggest that job-related psychosocial stressors are widespread but not uniform across ethnic groups. Further research into what drives differences in work experience for migrant groups would provide information to guide both employers and migrants in ways to reduce workplace psychosocial stressors.

MENELAAH METODOLOGI TAFSIR SYEKH H. ABDUL HALIM HASAN, H. ZAINAL ARIFIN ABBAS DAN ABDURRAHIM HAITAMI

Al Qur’an is the word of Allah that revealed to Muhammad the Prophet SAW in the form of high level and accurate Arabic. The Prophet SAW understood the meaning and let his companions know. Then, the companions, the tabi’in (the righteous followers), and the then ulamas followed the path of him. They discerned the Qur’an and created qur’anic exegesis so later on we found many versions of them. Many qur’anic exegesis, however, were written in Arabic, therefore many muslim of non Arabic speaking backgrounds have not been able to utilized them. This situation had triggered some ulamas of non Arabic speaking background (ulama ‘ajam) to write qur’anic exegesis of their own languages. One of them is whom we call the triangular ulamas, Syekh H. Abdul Halim Hasan, H. Zainal Arifin Abbas and Abdurrahim Haitami, who served Indonesian people with “Tafsir al-Quranul Karim”. They uses the Tahlili method in their writing, in which begining with surah Fatihah and finally ended at surah al-Nas

Practices of active citizenship among migrant youth: beyond conventionalities

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses the empirical manifestations of the notion of active citizenship in the context of the experiences of migrant youth. It focuses on the practices of active citizenship through involvement in social networks and creative civic engagement. In doing so, the article examines the complex and multi-faceted nature of social networking among migrant youth and the extent to which their approach to engagement is dependent on the specificities of the local environment, the type of social issues involved, and the cultural norms of one's own cultural heritage. Key empirical insights are derived from quantitative and qualitative research conducted among migrant youth of African, Arabic-speaking and Pacific Island backgrounds in Australia. These empirical insights are used to examine the changing perceptions of active citizenship among migrant youth, and the possibilities offered through non-traditional networks to engender civic engagement and social participation.

Illegitimate: When Moderate Muslims Speak Out

Illegitimate: When Moderate Muslims Speak Out

Subjective Assessment to an Educational Tool Used for the Arabic Population with Diabetes in Australia = تقييم ذاتي لأداة تعليمية تستخدم للسكان العرب الذين يعانون من مرض السكري في أستراليا

Despite a rapid growth of Type 2 diabetes in Arab Australians, the management of diabetes in this population is yet understudied. The first aim of this study is to participants’ views about: taking medicines regularly, knowledge and feelings about diabetes, sources of medicines information, and special needs of being from an Arabic speaking background. The second aim is to explore participants’ feedback about the use of the Diabetes Conversation Map as an educational tool in Arabic. Focus groups were conducted in Arabic-speaking Australians with Type 2 diabetes who were asked about their knowledge and self-care skills of diabetes as well as experience of living with the disease. Common themes emerged from the focus groups included knowledge, state of mind, and needs of the Arabic speaking population. The findings provide valuable information for research in this area by designing interventions that would be translated to clinical practice.

Healthcare needs of older Arab migrants: a systematic review

To explore the healthcare needs of older Arab migrants, focussing on Arab-Australians and their socio-cultural characteristics. Disparities in accessing healthcare services and addressing healthcare needs are evident among ethnic minorities including Arab migrants, particularly, older people. Racial stereotyping can also affect their ability to use these services. Arabs are a populous and diverse group with a long history of global migration. Australia is one of the most multicultural societies in the world, and Arab-Australians constitute an important ethnic minority group. Systematic review. The electronic databases Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), MEDLINE (Ovid), Ageline, ProQuest, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychINFO and Google Scholar were searched from 1990-October 2012. Search terms included health care needs, aged care, ethnic, cultural, linguistics, social, ethnic groups, culturally and linguistically diverse, nonEnglish speaking, ageing, elderly, Arabs, Arabic-speaking and Australia. Eight articles reviewing the healthcare issues of Australians from Arabic-speaking background were identified using the search strategy. An additional eight articles were identified through hand searching. Racial stereotyping can alter health-seeking behaviours and healthcare treatment. Increasing the understanding of specific cultural attributes of Arab-Australians will contribute to improving health outcomes. Healthcare providers and policymakers need to adopt more effective ways of communication with Arab-Australians to provide more culturally competent care and achieve better health outcomes.

‘Corsages on their parents' jackets’: employment and aspiration among Arabic-speaking youth in Western Sydney

Many commentators have observed that late modernity has profoundly reshaped the nature of employment such that workers have become more reflexive, mobile, individualistic and entrepreneurial, free to re-invent themselves as they choose in a world of endless possibilities. Theorists of reflexive modernity suggest that the family unit and class have been usurped by an inherent individual mobility. This article challenges this discourse of the new economy arguing instead that young people (Gen Y as market researchers would call them) are not as free as these proponents of the new individualism would have us believe. This article is based on interviews with young people from Western Sydney of Arabic-speaking backgrounds. It considers the way they form ambitions to work in ‘creative industries’ and their struggles to account for, and explain these ambitions to members of their families/communities. It illustrates the ways biographical narratives exemplify struggles to pursue aspirations in the face of class/ethnic positioning and intergenerational misunderstanding.

Two sides of the coin: patient and provider perceptions of health care delivery to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

BackgroundAustralia is a culturally diverse nation with one in seven Australians born in a non-English speaking country. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) populations are at a high risk of developing preventable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, renal disease, and chronic respiratory disease, especially communities from the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian subcontinent and China. Previous studies have shown that access to services may be a contributing factor. This study explores the experiences, attitudes and opinions of immigrants from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and their health care providers with regard to chronic disease care.MethodsFive focus groups were conducted comprising participants from an Arabic speaking background, or born in Sudan, China, Vietnam or Tonga. A total of 50 members participated. All focus groups were conducted in the participants’ language and facilitated by a trained multicultural health worker. In addition, 14 health care providers were interviewed by telephone. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. All qualitative data were analysed with the assistance of QSR NVivo 8 software.ResultsParticipants were generally positive about the quality and accessibility of health services, but the costs of health care and waiting times to receive treatment presented significant barriers. They expressed a need for greater access to interpreters and culturally appropriate communication and education. They mentioned experiencing racism and discriminatory practices. Health professionals recommended recruiting health workers from CALD communities to assist them to adequately elicit and address the needs of patients from CALD backgrounds.ConclusionsCALD patients, carers and community members as well as health professionals all highlighted the need for establishing culturally tailored programs for chronic disease prevention and management in CALD populations. Better health care can be achieved by ensuring that further investment in culturally specific programs and workforce development is in line with the number of CALD communities and their needs.

Using the collaborative strategic reading strategy to improve seventh graders’ reading comprehension in Arabic: A pilot study

This research investigates seventh grade Arabic-speaking background students' participation in a pilot study that used the collaborative strategic reading (CSR) strategy to improve their reading of Arabic. It responds to students' learning in a diglossic context where students prefer to read books in French or English, and where teachers generally use a traditional approach to teaching reading comprehension. Comparison is made between one group of students who were trained in and used CSR with a second group that continued in the traditional teaching situation. Implementation of CSR was shown to have a positive influence on students' reading comprehension test results and issues are raised in relation to changing the effects of diglossia through changes in pedagogy, including improving the design of curriculum and resources to create greater access to interesting literature in Arabic. This includes teachers taking a more active role in guiding their students in choosing Arabic literature and categorising them into themes, reading levels, and developmental levels. Further research is recommended on the effectiveness of CRS over a longer period of time, especially with respect to monitoring whether students continue to implement the strategies they have learnt on a long-term basis. The research also highlighted the need to investigate these students' attitudes towards Arabic language and reading in Arabic in considering the importance of language and reading to their education as a whole.

Cultural threats, cop drama, and ‘community PR’: Diversity and security cultures in EastWest101

This study seeks to explore the ways viewers generate meanings and understandings of ‘mediated reality’ through television drama. It tests out the idea that drama programmes intended to reflect contemporary cultural diversity can assist viewers to negotiate anxieties about cultural difference. The analysis draws on viewer responses to SBS drama series EastWest101, including from Arabic-speaking backgrounds. EastWest101 is a cop show, set in Sydney's west and based on a real (self-titled) ‘wog squad’ police team, which centralizes cultural difference as the context and, often, the source of the drama. Analysis of responses explores the ways viewers interpret fictionalized portrayals of issues of belonging, personal security, and state authority and use them to negotiate their own responses to contemporary security cultures.

A Cross-Cultural Examination of Barriers to Social Inclusion for Children: A Qualitative Study Using Child-Centred Methods

Social exclusion is a risk factor for mental health problems. This study aims to identify the factors that contribute to social exclusion for children from several cultural backgrounds, living in low-socioeconomic status (SES) areas. Children from English, Chinese and Arabic speaking backgrounds participated in semi-structured interviews. They were asked questions around three prominent themes of social exclusion: exclusion from school, social activities and social networks. Children from English and Chinese speaking backgrounds experienced exclusion at school, from social activities or in social networks. The major barriers to social inclusion, which differed across cultural groups, included bullying, time constraints, economic resources and parental permission. Although money is a barrier to social inclusion, there are several other barriers that need to be considered, such as bullying, time and parental permission, and they may differ by culture. Mental health promotion programmes in schools and communities need to address these barriers in a culturally appropriate manner.