For over 70 years, studies have reported lower rates of completed suicide in Muslim-majority coun... more For over 70 years, studies have reported lower rates of completed suicide in Muslim-majority countries and individuals who identify as Muslim. To this point, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between Islam and lower risk of suicide remain understudied. In an effort to advance our understanding, we convened a bilingual international interdisciplinary panel of experts for a discussion of the current state and future directions of the field. In this paper, we present an exploratory qualitative analysis of the core themes that emerged from the group interviews. We also derive a general theoretical model of the association between Islam and suicide risk.
Aims The aim of this paper is to present a novel case for the formation, operation and evaluation... more Aims The aim of this paper is to present a novel case for the formation, operation and evaluation of a community advisory aboard comprised of Muslims residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, California that utilised a community based participatory approach to address local Muslim mental health needs. The CAB was recruited in partnership with the Muslim Community Association (MCA), one of the largest Islamic centres in the San Franscisco Bay Area. In addition to describing the development of the CAB, the authors present the findings of the evaluation and synthesis of best processes based on CAB members' feedback. Methods To evaluate the perceived community advisory board members' perceptions of their roles and elicit feedback on how to enhance the relationship between the university team and the CAB, an evaluation was conducted by an independent team who was not part of the research process. Data was collected using anonymous individual surveys and small group open discussions...
Muslim religious leaders provide guidance to their communities on social and spiritual aspects of... more Muslim religious leaders provide guidance to their communities on social and spiritual aspects of life. Previous studies suggest that religious leaders (imams) may also offer counseling and mental health support for Muslims. Research has not investigated the extent to which Muslims rely on religious leaders to fulfill this role. This study explores the perceptions of Muslims in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, regarding the role of religious leaders in mental health care. The study utilizes a community based participatory research approach. A total of 40 participants across four demographic groups (male community members, female community members, young adult community members, and religious leaders) were recruited to participate in focus group discussions. Participants were given six case scenarios illustrating various mental health problems and asked to share their thoughts regarding the role of religious leaders in the management of each case. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes included participants’ expectations of religious leaders’ qualifications and limitations as well as the perceived distinction between a religious leader and a mental health professional. The findings of this study provide insights into Muslims’ perceptions of the roles that religious leaders play in mental health.
Suicide in the Arab World is grossly understudied. This study sought to understand suicidality am... more Suicide in the Arab World is grossly understudied. This study sought to understand suicidality among Arabic-speaking individuals visiting an online depression screener. A large sample (N = 23,201) from the Arab World was recruited online. 78.9% (n = 17,042) reported suicidality (thoughts of death or suicide, or a suicide attempt) and 12.4% reported a suicide attempt in the past 2 weeks. Binary logistic regressions indicated that women tended to report more suicidality, and that suicidality tended to decline with age (all ps < 0.001), across all levels of suicidality. Comparing countries with n ≥ 1000 (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia), several 3-way (gender * age * country) and 2-way interactions indicated that some countries departed from the usual pattern of responses. For instance, in Algeria, neither gender nor age differences were observed in reported attempts. Women and younger adults in the Arab World may be at higher risk of suicidality. Differences betwe...
The Islamic Renaissance saw a flourishing and advancement in philosophy, the natural sciences, t... more The Islamic Renaissance saw a flourishing and advancement in philosophy, the natural sciences, the humanities, and many other academic disciplines. Though this era is often confined in the historical literature as ranging from the eighth through thirteenth centuries CE, recent research has considered expanding its timeline to the nineteenth century.1,2 The early stages of this period were known for the synthesis of previous traditions that later led to the creation of a new canon of knowledge; this new canon heavily influenced those living within the Islamic empire and also those in Europe.3 In the early years of the Islamic Renaissance, the physician and philosopher Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakarīyā al-Rāzī was a major figure whose works influenced the course of medicine.4 While he remains well-known to this day for his writings that later influenced the likes of Ibn Sīnā, many of his contributions to the world of psychiatry remain underappreciated. In revisiting the texts and life of al-Rāzī, what emerges is a portrait of a psychiatrist well ahead of his time and whose methodology brought tradition and innovation together as a means of providing the best care to his patients.
The current study seeks to analyze Muslim experiences of communicative diseases with a focus on t... more The current study seeks to analyze Muslim experiences of communicative diseases with a focus on the psychosocial impacts and public, communal, and personal responses of Muslim populations throughout history. By examining a selection of plague outbreaks between the 8-19th centuries across the lands broadly defined as the Islamic Mediterranean (Varlık, 2017), the guidelines and coping mechanisms that Muslims extracted from their traditional sources are highlighted. This historical perspective contributes to a better understanding of the psychological and social aspects of pandemics for the Muslim community, specifically for the role played by faith and spirituality as determinants of psychological well-being in Muslims' perceptions and responses. We suggest that such an understanding is especially useful for contemporary mental health practitioners working with Muslim patients through the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives: Syrian refugee women have faced myriad adversities as they have navigated the realiti... more Objectives: Syrian refugee women have faced myriad adversities as they have navigated the realities of war, increasing the risk for mental health concerns such as depressive symptomatology. This study explores the nuances of relevant sociocultural factors that can contribute to depressive symptomatology among widowed Syrian refugee women who live in an institutionalized care setting. We explored the impact of past trauma exposure, perceived independence, and a desire to leave the current place of displacement and the interplay between them. Methods: The PCRF Traumatic Events Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were administered to 57 Syrian refugee women in Lebanon ( Mage = 37; M number of children = 3) to measure levels of trauma exposure and depressive symptoms, respectively. Perceived independence and a desire to leave their current place of residence were measured using 1-item measures. Results: Using hierarchical regression models, past trauma exposure ( B = ...
This community case study describes the experiences of two neighboring Muslim communities in the ... more This community case study describes the experiences of two neighboring Muslim communities in the United States, following respective incidents of suicide. Case summaries are first presented to contextualize the community response to the suicides. Subsequently, the discussion highlights relevant cultural and religious factors that impacted the responses of mosque leadership, mental health professionals, and the communities at large. Concerns related to the deceased’s afterlife, community connectedness, privacy, shame, and communication barriers were prominent in each case and shaped the courses of response. The COVID-19 pandemic and divergent responses to external support played significant roles in creating disparate outcomes in these communities. The discussion emphasizes the need for dissemination of evidence-based, religiously grounded, and culturally competent curricula for implementing mental health awareness programming and long-term suicide prevention efforts. Insights about ...
Objective The purpose of this study was to explore perspectives of Muslims residing in the Bay Ar... more Objective The purpose of this study was to explore perspectives of Muslims residing in the Bay Area, California on the role of the mosque community in supporting community members' mental health needs and barriers to mental health care for members who experience mental health challenges. Methods This study employed a CBPR-focused qualitative approach in the form of content analysis of three focus group discussions organized and conducted with the help of a Community Advisory Board made up of members of the Muslim Community Association. Results Two major themes were identified upon examination of the data: services needed in the mosque community and barriers to addressing mental health issues in the mosque community. Specifically, participants reported wanting support groups within the mosque space, mosque-based activities, virtual support, community social workers, and family-oriented services. Barriers reported included community stigma, lack of cultural awareness of race-ethnic minorities within the community, attribution of mental illness to lack of faith or supernatural causes, and specific barriers unique to vulnerable/special subgroups within the community. Conclusion These findings highlight the need for developing mental health-related services and social support initiatives within the mosque space, specifically for those Muslim Americans living in the Bay Area in California. Furthermore, special attention needs to be placed on the barriers to accessing these services as identified by the community members.
For over 70 years, studies have reported lower rates of completed suicide in Muslim-majority coun... more For over 70 years, studies have reported lower rates of completed suicide in Muslim-majority countries and individuals who identify as Muslim. To this point, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between Islam and lower risk of suicide remain understudied. In an effort to advance our understanding, we convened a bilingual international interdisciplinary panel of experts for a discussion of the current state and future directions of the field. In this paper, we present an exploratory qualitative analysis of the core themes that emerged from the group interviews. We also derive a general theoretical model of the association between Islam and suicide risk.
Aims The aim of this paper is to present a novel case for the formation, operation and evaluation... more Aims The aim of this paper is to present a novel case for the formation, operation and evaluation of a community advisory aboard comprised of Muslims residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, California that utilised a community based participatory approach to address local Muslim mental health needs. The CAB was recruited in partnership with the Muslim Community Association (MCA), one of the largest Islamic centres in the San Franscisco Bay Area. In addition to describing the development of the CAB, the authors present the findings of the evaluation and synthesis of best processes based on CAB members' feedback. Methods To evaluate the perceived community advisory board members' perceptions of their roles and elicit feedback on how to enhance the relationship between the university team and the CAB, an evaluation was conducted by an independent team who was not part of the research process. Data was collected using anonymous individual surveys and small group open discussions...
Muslim religious leaders provide guidance to their communities on social and spiritual aspects of... more Muslim religious leaders provide guidance to their communities on social and spiritual aspects of life. Previous studies suggest that religious leaders (imams) may also offer counseling and mental health support for Muslims. Research has not investigated the extent to which Muslims rely on religious leaders to fulfill this role. This study explores the perceptions of Muslims in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, regarding the role of religious leaders in mental health care. The study utilizes a community based participatory research approach. A total of 40 participants across four demographic groups (male community members, female community members, young adult community members, and religious leaders) were recruited to participate in focus group discussions. Participants were given six case scenarios illustrating various mental health problems and asked to share their thoughts regarding the role of religious leaders in the management of each case. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes included participants’ expectations of religious leaders’ qualifications and limitations as well as the perceived distinction between a religious leader and a mental health professional. The findings of this study provide insights into Muslims’ perceptions of the roles that religious leaders play in mental health.
Suicide in the Arab World is grossly understudied. This study sought to understand suicidality am... more Suicide in the Arab World is grossly understudied. This study sought to understand suicidality among Arabic-speaking individuals visiting an online depression screener. A large sample (N = 23,201) from the Arab World was recruited online. 78.9% (n = 17,042) reported suicidality (thoughts of death or suicide, or a suicide attempt) and 12.4% reported a suicide attempt in the past 2 weeks. Binary logistic regressions indicated that women tended to report more suicidality, and that suicidality tended to decline with age (all ps < 0.001), across all levels of suicidality. Comparing countries with n ≥ 1000 (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia), several 3-way (gender * age * country) and 2-way interactions indicated that some countries departed from the usual pattern of responses. For instance, in Algeria, neither gender nor age differences were observed in reported attempts. Women and younger adults in the Arab World may be at higher risk of suicidality. Differences betwe...
The Islamic Renaissance saw a flourishing and advancement in philosophy, the natural sciences, t... more The Islamic Renaissance saw a flourishing and advancement in philosophy, the natural sciences, the humanities, and many other academic disciplines. Though this era is often confined in the historical literature as ranging from the eighth through thirteenth centuries CE, recent research has considered expanding its timeline to the nineteenth century.1,2 The early stages of this period were known for the synthesis of previous traditions that later led to the creation of a new canon of knowledge; this new canon heavily influenced those living within the Islamic empire and also those in Europe.3 In the early years of the Islamic Renaissance, the physician and philosopher Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakarīyā al-Rāzī was a major figure whose works influenced the course of medicine.4 While he remains well-known to this day for his writings that later influenced the likes of Ibn Sīnā, many of his contributions to the world of psychiatry remain underappreciated. In revisiting the texts and life of al-Rāzī, what emerges is a portrait of a psychiatrist well ahead of his time and whose methodology brought tradition and innovation together as a means of providing the best care to his patients.
The current study seeks to analyze Muslim experiences of communicative diseases with a focus on t... more The current study seeks to analyze Muslim experiences of communicative diseases with a focus on the psychosocial impacts and public, communal, and personal responses of Muslim populations throughout history. By examining a selection of plague outbreaks between the 8-19th centuries across the lands broadly defined as the Islamic Mediterranean (Varlık, 2017), the guidelines and coping mechanisms that Muslims extracted from their traditional sources are highlighted. This historical perspective contributes to a better understanding of the psychological and social aspects of pandemics for the Muslim community, specifically for the role played by faith and spirituality as determinants of psychological well-being in Muslims' perceptions and responses. We suggest that such an understanding is especially useful for contemporary mental health practitioners working with Muslim patients through the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives: Syrian refugee women have faced myriad adversities as they have navigated the realiti... more Objectives: Syrian refugee women have faced myriad adversities as they have navigated the realities of war, increasing the risk for mental health concerns such as depressive symptomatology. This study explores the nuances of relevant sociocultural factors that can contribute to depressive symptomatology among widowed Syrian refugee women who live in an institutionalized care setting. We explored the impact of past trauma exposure, perceived independence, and a desire to leave the current place of displacement and the interplay between them. Methods: The PCRF Traumatic Events Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were administered to 57 Syrian refugee women in Lebanon ( Mage = 37; M number of children = 3) to measure levels of trauma exposure and depressive symptoms, respectively. Perceived independence and a desire to leave their current place of residence were measured using 1-item measures. Results: Using hierarchical regression models, past trauma exposure ( B = ...
This community case study describes the experiences of two neighboring Muslim communities in the ... more This community case study describes the experiences of two neighboring Muslim communities in the United States, following respective incidents of suicide. Case summaries are first presented to contextualize the community response to the suicides. Subsequently, the discussion highlights relevant cultural and religious factors that impacted the responses of mosque leadership, mental health professionals, and the communities at large. Concerns related to the deceased’s afterlife, community connectedness, privacy, shame, and communication barriers were prominent in each case and shaped the courses of response. The COVID-19 pandemic and divergent responses to external support played significant roles in creating disparate outcomes in these communities. The discussion emphasizes the need for dissemination of evidence-based, religiously grounded, and culturally competent curricula for implementing mental health awareness programming and long-term suicide prevention efforts. Insights about ...
Objective The purpose of this study was to explore perspectives of Muslims residing in the Bay Ar... more Objective The purpose of this study was to explore perspectives of Muslims residing in the Bay Area, California on the role of the mosque community in supporting community members' mental health needs and barriers to mental health care for members who experience mental health challenges. Methods This study employed a CBPR-focused qualitative approach in the form of content analysis of three focus group discussions organized and conducted with the help of a Community Advisory Board made up of members of the Muslim Community Association. Results Two major themes were identified upon examination of the data: services needed in the mosque community and barriers to addressing mental health issues in the mosque community. Specifically, participants reported wanting support groups within the mosque space, mosque-based activities, virtual support, community social workers, and family-oriented services. Barriers reported included community stigma, lack of cultural awareness of race-ethnic minorities within the community, attribution of mental illness to lack of faith or supernatural causes, and specific barriers unique to vulnerable/special subgroups within the community. Conclusion These findings highlight the need for developing mental health-related services and social support initiatives within the mosque space, specifically for those Muslim Americans living in the Bay Area in California. Furthermore, special attention needs to be placed on the barriers to accessing these services as identified by the community members.
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Papers by Rania Awaad