No abstract

This study investigated the effects of COVID-19-related social distancing practices on parents and children’s mental health and explored joint parent-child activities and coping strategies among Arab families in Qatar. The sample of 308 parents answered self-reported questionnaires regarding their mental health, coping strategies, activities with their children, social distancing practices, and their children’s mental health. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were carried out. The results showed a significant positive correlation between social distancing and parents’ activities with their children and their coping strategies, as well as between parents’ mental health, activities with their children, children’s mental health, and parents’ coping strategies. Path analysis showed that social distancing practices influence both parents’ and children’s mental health through parents’ activities with children and their coping strategies. Our findings revealed how living under stressful conditions, such as COVID-19, could enhance the mental health of family members.

In 2017, the blockade of Qatar Gulf states caused a plethora of effects on the country. This paper sought to examine the resulting threat effects of this blockade in terms of lowered self-esteem and well-being, and the potential buffering effects of an overarching identity. Using self-report questionnaire data from Qatari secondary school students (N = 1,410), multiple moderated mediation models investigated the predictive effects of youngsters’ perceived threat, via self-esteem, on their well-being, and the mitigating roles herein of, respectively, national, Gulf region, and Arab identity. Perceived threat was indeed related to lower well-being via lower self-esteem, and this relationship was equally strong for those low and high in social identity. In terms of the three facets of identity, the overarching Gulf identity seems the most predictive, and it even (marginally significantly) buffers the negative relationship between threat and reduced self-esteem.

This study investigated the effects of COVID-19-related social distancing practices on parents and children’s mental health and explored the roles parental activities with children and coping strategies among families in Qatar. The sample of 308 parents completed self-reported questionnaires regarding parents’ mental health, coping strategies, and activities with children, social distancing practices, and both parents’ and children’s mental health. The results showed a significant positive correlation between social distancing and parents’ activities with children and their coping strategies, as well as between parents’ mental health and parents’ activities with children, children’s mental health, and parents’ coping strategies. The path analysis showed that social distancing practices influence both parents’ and children’s mental health through parents’ activities with children and their coping strategies. Our findings revealed how living under stressful conditions such as COVID-19 could enhance the mental health of family members.

Background In 2017, the unprecedented blockade of Qatar by neighboring Gulf states caused a plethora of effects on the country at a psychological, socio-political, and identity level. This paper sought to examine the resulting psychological effects of this blockade in Qatar but with a focus on the younger population. Methods Using self-report questionnaire data from Qatari secondary school students (n = 1410), a multiple regression model investigated the predictive effects of youth self-esteem, national identity, and perceived threat on the well-being of students. Results The model predicted 23.9% of the variance in the overall dataset. The results indicated that the model was a significant predictor of well-being, F (3, 1406) = 148.35, p = .000. While self-esteem significantly contributed to the model (B = .473, p = .000), as did perceived threat (B = − .058, p = 0.013); Qatari identity did not display a significant predictive effect (B = .040, p = .089). Conclusions In the context of the conflict, perceived threat and self-esteem play a crucial role in predicting youth wellbeing.