Biomedical subjects

Marwan Dwairy

Publications and source records attributed to Marwan Dwairy.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The psychosocial function of reincarnation among Druze in Israel.

To gain an understanding of the psychosocial function of reincarnation among Druze, interviews were conducted with nine male subjects who had experienced reincarnation (Notq) and with one or two of their family members. Analysis of these interviews revealed that the onset of Notq typically occurs at between two and five years of age. Five of the subjects had displayed psychological distress in their childhood that was alleviated after the Notq. Once the child has displayed initial indications of reincarnation, such as mentioning names that the family construes as being from a past life, the family takes an active role in constructing the past-life story and matching it to a known real story involving a tragic death. This match creates a new order in the life of the child, the family, and the past-life family. All parties benefit from this new order: the child receives new special attention and love and becomes able to control and manipulate the parents; the parents are relieved because they see the child happy, and benefit from the social attention and regard they receive; and the grieving of the bereaved past-life family is alleviated by the realization that the soul of their lost son still lives. The findings support the sociocognitive notion of the constructing of past memories by the social environment. Additional research that should include data collection from the past-life family and examination of the affinity of reincarnation with dissociation and child abuse is recommended.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Parenting style, individuation, and mental health of Egyptian adolescents.

Three questionnaires that measure parenting style, adolescent-family connectedness, and mental health were administered to 351 Egyptian adolescents. Results show that in rural communities the authoritarian style is more predominant in the parenting of male adolescents, while the authoritative style is more predominant in the parenting of female adolescents. In urban communities, on the other hand, the authoritarian style was more predominant in the parenting of female adolescents. The connectedness of all female adolescents with their family was stronger than that of male adolescents. The connectedness of girls was found to be more emotional and financial in villages and to be more functional in town. Female adolescents reported a higher frequency of psychological disorders. Mental health was associated with authoritative parenting, but not with authoritarian parenting. It seems that authoritarian parenting within an authoritarian culture is not as harmful as within a liberal culture.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Dynamic approach to learning disability assessment: DLD test.

A severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement is one major criterion for diagnosis of learning disability (LD). This manuscript describes the shortcomings of this paradigm and offers a new dynamic approach for LD assessment based on evaluation of LD during a standard learning process of how to read and write a new language. The dynamic learning disability (DLD) test, K-ABC IQ test, and K-ABC reading test were administered to 56 normal 4th grade students and to 48 LD students. It was hypothesized that the results using the conventional criteria may mismatch the results of DLD, and that DLD predicts the progress of students in a long-term group learning process better. The results indicated that LD students, as a group, manifested significant difficulties in the DLD test. Among 48 students who meet the conventional criteria for LD diagnosis 14 students (29.16%) were able to learn a new language in the DLD test (Inconsistent LD sub-group). From the 14 students who have low achievement in reading without serious indications of cognitive difficulties, six students (42.857%) manifested serious difficulties in learning a new language in the DLD test (Latent LD sub-group). The DLD test as well as the labels of the sub-groups was validated by the amount of progress in the long-term group learning process. The DLD test proved to have high reliability and predictive validity coefficients. It is suggested that it become part of the diagnostic battery of tests of LD.

Child↗

PubMed2004

Individuation among bedouin versus urban arab adolescents: ethnic and gender differences.

Three scales assessing individuation (Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status [OMEIS], Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence [SITA], and Multigenerational Interconnectedness Scale [MIS]) were administered to 40 female and 38 male Bedouin Arab adolescents and to 39 female and 38 male urban Arab adolescents in Grade 12. It was hypothesized that Bedouin Arab adolescents and female adolescents would manifest less individuation than urban Arab adolescents and male adolescents, respectively. Results from the OMEIS revealed that the identity foreclosed mean of the Bedouin adolescents was higher than that of the urban adolescents. As for the SITA, significant differences were found between Bedouin and urban Arabs in terms of dependency denial, separation anxiety, teacher enmeshment, peer enmeshment, and rejection expectancy. Significant gender differences were found in regard to dependency denial, and a borderline difference was found for separation anxiety. Significant effects of ethnicity and gender were found on the financial interconnectedness subscale of the MIS. The results support the present hypotheses concerning ethnicity differences and indicate that urbanization seems to narrow the differences in individuation between male and female adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Parenting styles and mental health of Palestinian-Arab adolescents in Israel.

The relationship between three parenting styles (authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative) and the mental health of Arab adolescents was tested. It was hypothesized that parenting style toward boys would differ from that towards girls, psychological adjustment of girls would differ from that of boys, and that the authoritarian style applied within the authoritarian Arab society is not associated with poor psychological adjustment. The Parental Authority Questionnaire, Child Attitude Toward Parents, Lipsitt's Self-Concept Scale for Children, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Psychological State Scale were administered to 431 Arab adolescents. Sex comparison revealed that the parenting style with regard to girls tends to be more authoritative and less authoritarian than with regard to boys. Girls scored higher than boys on identity disorder, anxiety disorder, and depression scales, whereas boys scored higher than girls on the behavior disorder scale. There was no significant relationship between the authoritarian parenting style and the mental health measures. A significant positive relationship exists between the authoritative parenting style and the mental health of children. Among boys, the permissive parenting style was associated with negative attitudes towards parents, lower self-esteem and increased identity, anxiety, phobia, depressive, and conduct disorders. It seems, therefore, that the effect of parenting style is culturally and gender dependent rather than universal.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Cultural norms versus state law in treating incest: a suggested model for Arab families.

OBJECTIVE: This article examines problems of intervention in sexual abuse cases among collective societies and offers a culturally sensitive model of intervention. METHOD: The manuscript is based on cross-cultural literature and clinical cases within the Palestinian community in Israel. RESULTS: Unlike Western societies in which the state takes responsibility for the needs of its citizens and has laws that aim to protect victims of sexual abuse and to punish the perpetrators, in many collective societies people live in interdependence with their families. The family, rather than the state, is the main provider and protector. Enforcing the laws against sexual perpetrators, typically, threatens the unity and reputation of the family, and therefore this option is rejected and the family turns against the victim. Instead of punishing the perpetrator, families often protect him and blame the victim for the resulting mess. The punishment of the abuser results in the re-victimization of the abused since the family possesses supreme authority. We suggest a culturally sensitive model of intervention that includes six stages: (1) verification of information, (2) mapping the family, (3) bonding with progressive forces, (4) a condemning, apologizing, and punishing ceremony, (5) treatment, and (6) follow-up. CONCLUSION: Culturally sensitive intervention that exploits the power of the family for the benefit of the victim of abuse before enforcing the law, may achieve the same legal objectives as state intervention, without threatening the reputation and the unity of the family, and may therefore save the victim from harm.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Validation of multigenerational interconnectedness scale among Arab adolescents.

This study intends to validate the Multigenerational Interconnectedness Scale among Arab adolescents. The Arabic version of the scale was administered to 224 male and 294 female Arab students in Grades 10 and 12. Principal factor analysis with a priori three factors and varimax rotation was conducted. This showed good convergence of the items into three subscales: Emotional, Financial, and Functional. Coefficient alpha was .80, indicating good internal consistency. Adolescent girls scored significantly higher on Connectedness to their families than the boys. Given the restricted age range, the effect of age was not significant. Further validation studies are needed with an external criterion for construct validity and a larger sample to cover the older age range of adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Foundations of psychosocial dynamic personality theory of collective people.

The concept of personality emerged as a part of the development of individualism in the western world to understand the quality of the newborn (individual). In premodern society, roles were the elements that constituted the person. Presently, about 80% of the people (Africa, Asia, and South America) in the world still live in a collective, authoritarian system. Personality theories that have been developed in Europe and North America seem to be limited in understanding and predicting the behavior of these people. One major difference between individualistic and collective peoples is their degree of individuation from the family. Western social-political systems enable individuals at the end of their development course to form an independent personality (or self) that is unique and different from others. For westerners, personality structures and processes enable us to predict behavior. Psychopathology is attributed to an intrapsychic disorder within the personality. Typically, psychotherapy aims to restore that order. For people who live in collective social systems, individuation does not take place. Therefore, norms, values, roles, and familial authority directives predict behavior more than personality. Psychopathology among these people has to do with interpersonal disorder within the family. Therefore, psychotherapy should aim to restore that order. This manuscript suggests foundations of a new psychosocial dynamic theory of personality to better fit our understanding of people living in collective societies.

Arab World↗