The impact of acculturation and religious identification on perceived discrimination for Arab/Middle Eastern Americans.

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to determine the impact of acculturation, ethnic identity, and religious affiliation on perceived discrimination for persons of Arab and Middle Eastern descent. Two aspects of acculturation (ethnic society immersion and dominant society immersion), religious affiliation, and ethnic identity were measured using a final sample of 177 individuals of Arab or Middle Eastern descent. Results indicated that Arab/Middle Eastern Americans who reported lower levels of dominant society immersion tended to report higher levels of discrimination. Furthermore, Muslims reported a higher level of discrimination than Christians but this finding was moderated by level of acculturation. Specifically, Muslims who reported a high level of dominant society immersion experienced the most discrimination, whereas Christians who reported a high level of dominant society immersion reported less discrimination. Study implications are discussed.

Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, Religiosity and Psychological Adjustment among Muslim Arab American Adolescents

“…Studies have shown that Arab Americans who identified as Christians reported greater life satisfaction and acculturation to U.S. society than those who identified as Muslims (Amer & Hovey, 2005;Faragallah, Schumm, & Webb, 1997). Furthermore, Muslim Arab Americans who affirmed their Arab ethnic identity reported experiencing more discrimination compared to those who were Christian (Awad, 2010). Although these studies have shown differential experiences among Arab Americans, these studies included only adults.…”

Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors of Muslim Immigrants in the United States: Overcoming Social Stigma and Cultural Mistrust

“…Children are "parentified" because they tend to learn English much quicker than their parents and are put in positions to speak on their parent's behalf, or sometimes being required to make critical decisions that impact the family. Women are also often forced to take on the role of secondary, and sometimes, primary wage earners, leading to the male head of household feeling a loss of control and inadequacy (Ahmed & Reddy, 2007;Awad, 2010;Bemak, Chung, & Pedersen, 2003;Trickett & Jones, 2007). Difficulty learning the English language and limited or non-transferrable job skills also present challenges for Muslim immigrants who are trying to start a new life in the U.S.…”

“…The process of acculturation can take two forms, either adoption and immersion of the dominant society, or immersion and retention of the ethnic society of origin (Awad, 2010;Berry, 2003); acculturation also depends on factors such as country of origin, sociopolitical history, reason for immigration, length of time in the U.S., socioeconomic status in the U.S., level of education and English language proficiency, level of social support, pre-migration experiences such as trauma, and post-migration experiences of trauma and racial/ethnic discrimination (Chung, Bemak, Ortiz, & SandovalPerez, 2008;Erikson & Al-Tamimi, 2001;Jamil, Nassar-McMillan, & Lambert, 2007).…”

Predicting Reasons for Experiencing Depression in Pakistani and Palestinian Muslims: The Roles of Acculturation and Religiousness

“…Empirical research of the relationship between acculturation and mental health outcomes among Muslims is comparatively limited, although recent evidence suggests a significant association between the two. For example, studies that have compared samples of Arab American Christians to Arab American Muslims have found Muslims who reported higher majority-culture acculturation perceived greater levels of discrimination than Christians (Awad, 2010); that Arab American Muslims report significantly higher levels of marginalization acculturation style than Arab American Christians (Amer & Hovey, 2007); and that bicultural acculturation is significantly related to lower family dysfunction (Amer & Hovey, 2007).…”