Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans

lt;p>Sylvia C. Nassar, PhD is Professor of Counselor Education at North Carolina State University. Her predominant areas of focus over the past decades have included ethnic, gender, and career development, and the intersection thereof. A consistent thread has been her commitment to communities of Arab descent, ensuring that their voices are heard within dominant discourses of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Dr. Nassar was one of the co-authors of the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies, and many of her current initiatives apply the MSJCC across a variety of contexts, through which she increasingly connects her ethical practice, research, and policy efforts.

Florence J. Dallo, PhD, MPH is professor and associate dean of the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. Since 1996, she has used national, regional, state, hospital and community data to better understand and improve the health of the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) in Michigan and beyond. Given that MENA individuals do not have their own racial or ethnic "check-box", Professor Dallo has matched a MENA surname list with data bases to obtain more valid and reliable estimates of health conditions and behaviors than would be available otherwise.

Julie Hakim-Larson, Ph.D. obtained her doctorate in life-span developmental psychology from Wayne State University in 1984 and postdoctoral training in Clinical Child Psychology. She has been on the faculty of the University of Windsor since 1991 and is a Professor of Clinical Psychology (Child Track). Her interests include emotional development, developmental psychopathology, the history of psychology, and mental health and culture.  Dr. Hakim-Larson's research interest has focused on the mental health and overall well-being of individuals and families of Arab and Middle Eastern origin. In 2013, Dr. Hakim-Larson organized an international study group on Arab youth identity funded by the Society for Research in Child Development and collaborated in organizing an international symposium on Arab youth identity funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.  Dr. Hakim-Larson's publications and current research interests include culture and emotional development within a global perspective, emotion in families, Arab ethnic identity in North America, and the promotion of mental health in Arab immigrants and refugees.

Chapter 1: Contexts of Immigration and Diversity: Biopsychosocial implications for Arab Americans  (Ajrouch, Samhan, Nassar)   This chapter will address the importance of immigration contexts (highlighting the newest waves of  "immigration" e.g., refugees), for the diversity of Arab American experiences.  In particular, the chapter  will present events/changes in ME and the US over last 10 years, the  impact/implications for health in ME  and the US, and the connections between them.  The diversity of Arab American experiences that arise  because of these contexts will then be presented -possibly replacing Samhan's chapter below or perhaps  in addition     Section I: Arab American Culture: Introduction (Ajrouch)   Chapter 2: Identity and Discrimination (Erik Love)   This chapter will consider the interplay between identity and the experiences of discrimination among  Arab Americans.     Chapter 3: Intergenerational Relations (Rebecca Karam)   This chapter will replace the family value chapter to focus on the latest issues around intergenerational  family relations.   Chapter 4: Gender and Racialized Experience at Work (Salam Abolhassan)   This chapter will replace the gender chapter and focus on both women's and men's experiences in the  world of work.   Chapter 5: Cultural Sources and Expressions of Stigma around Health (Tahira Abdullah)   This chapter will replace the forgiveness chapter to focus on the cultural foundations of stigma associated  with various health issues (e.g., Cancer, Mental Health, Dementia).     Chapter 6: Adapting an Alzheimer's Disease Care Intervention to Arab American Families (Ajrouch,  Janevic, Antonucci)   This chapter will replace the aging chapter to document the ways in which cultural ideals and pragmatic  experiences informed the adaptation of an existing Alzheimer's Disease Care Intervention to the context  of Arab American families.   Part II: Psychology and Arab Americans: An Introduction (Hakim-Larson)    Chapter 7: Developmental Psychology and Arab Americans: (Julie Hakim-Larson and Jenna Thompson)-  Hakim-Larson and Thompson will provide an overview of taking a life-span developmental  psychopathology approach to Arab Americans with a focus on the role of vulnerabilities, risk and  protective factors, and the study of resilience.   Chapter 8: Acculturation (Amer).  Mona Amer will review the current state of the literature on  acculturation in Arab Americans.    Chapter 9: Refugees (Kira, Amer, Wrobel). Ibrahim Kira, Mona Amer, and Nancy Wrobel will address the  worldwide refugee crisis as it applies to the health and well-being of refugees   Chapter 10: Mental Health Risks (Wrobel and co-authors tbd).  Taking a developmental psychology  approach, Nancy Wrobel and co-authors will review the literature on specific risk factors related to  pathology in Arab Americans.   Chapter 11: Mental Health Interventions and Resilience in Arab Americans-Julie Hakim-Larson, Abirami  Kandasamy, and Clare Hinch.  Hakim-Larson, Kandasamy, and Hinch will discuss specific mental health  interventions and prevention strategies with Arab Americans as well as their resilience in overcoming  adversities.   Part III Public Health: Primary and Secondary Data Sources: An Introduction (Dallo)    Chapter 12: Primary and secondary data sources (Flora Dallo):  This chapter will provide brief description, including strengths and weaknesses of community studies using primary data; US Census; national, state, and hospital secondary data sets; and   suggestions to improve these data sets as applied to Arab Americans.       Chapter 13: Mortality (Abdulrahman El-Sayed):  This chapter looks at Arab American mortality rates in comparison to other groups; strengths and limitations of these studies; and guidance for future research.    Chapter 14: Chronic health conditions and their risk factors (including environment) (Nadia Abuelezam) This chapter will summarize top five chronic conditions among Arab Americans and review prevalence, common risk factors, prevention and interventions as well as identify strengths and challenges of relevant research.       Chapter 15: Health Behaviors (Arfken, Aroian and Pinelli)   This chapter will summarize top ten health behaviors among Arab Americans and review prevalence, common risk factors, prevention and interventions, and implications for future research.    Chapter 16: Stress and health (Germine Awad or Sawsan Abdulrahim)  This chapter will summarize studies focused on stress among Arab Americans and identify common stressors, their assessment, and implications for practice and research.     Chapter 17: Future strategies to improve health (Dallo)    This chapter will summarize the section and provide overview of strategies to improve health.    Chapter 18: Xenophobia in the US and Globally: Biopsychosocial Research and Policy Implications  (Dallo, Ajrouch, Nassar)   This chapter is a stand-alone, concluding chapter that will draw connections across the text.