Research has shown that mental health problems in Arab countries are of large proportion, with women and children probably the groups most at risk. Forms of psychological treatment are inadequate, making the need for such services a top priority.
This study presents data on 280 Saudi Arabian university students regarding their perception of and concern about sociocultural changes in their society and compares their scores on these variables with their responses on psychopathology measures. Subjects wee administered an interview schedule evaluating perception of and concern (upset or not upset) about sociocultural changes, the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (Zuckerman & Lubin, 1965), the Depression Symptomatology Scale (Schwab, 1974; Schwab, Holzer, Warheit, & Schwab, 1981), and the Symptom Inventory, a measure devised for this study. The results showed that (a) substantial numbers of subjects were aware of the social and cultural transformations in Saudi Arabia, (b) depressive and psychopathological symptoms were reported by extremely higher proportions of Saudis than usually reported in other societies, and (c) higher levels of concern about sociocultural changes obtained the lowest depression scores, indicating that those not upset by social transformation were generally not depressed.
Substance abuse is a multi-etiological, multi-dimensional and a worldwide problem with an alarming increase in its incidences. This study aimed to evaluate the patterns of use of psychoactive substances and to assess the predominant personality traits among the participants. This cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling technique to examined in-patients with substance abuse problem in a psychiatric facility in Maiduguri. One hundred and four (98.1%) males and (1.9%) females with mean age (x) of 31.1 years and SD (± 7.5) participated in the study. The study revealed cigarette (stimulant) as the most current substance of abuse 74.0%, cannabis (hallucinogen) 71.1%, opiates 69.2% and depressants 60.5%. Additionally, 87.5% of the participants used multiple psychoactive substances. Lastly, 90.4% of the participants' scores were above the mean on Neuroticism, 73.1% on Psychoticism and 55.8% on Extraversion measures. High scores on the three dimensions of personality traits (Psychoticism, Extraversion and Neuroticism) have significant associations to psychoactive substance abuse. The study, therefore, recommend the incorporation of personality assessment in the routine work up and management of patients with substance abuse problems.
The present study sought to investigate the significance of difference between 195 male and 210 female students at the University of Cairo, Egypt on 6 scores of originality and 30 personality trait and response styles. Additional aim was to compare the factorial structure of these variables to assess the influences of sex on the general pattern of relationships between originality and personality. The comparison of the two groups shows that it is not possible to draw a simple general conclusion about the superiority of men over women on the different aspects of originality. However, in each sex group the originality tests are loaded on one factor. In both groups the originality variables are almost independent of other personality measures. Despite this fact, men show more tendency toward linking their expression of originality consistently with variables such as rigidity, extreme desire for diversion, category width, and so on, reflecting that the differential personality patterns underlying the expression of creativity are mediated, at least in part, by sex.
The Dogmatism Scale and 13 personality tests measuring authoritarianism, rigidity, neuroticism,and extremeness were administered to 250 male and female students at the University of Cairo, Egypt, to investigate whether there are any differences in dogmatism and its underlying personality characteristics associated with the Egyptian culture in comparison with the American and English cultures. The Egyptian mean dogmatism score was larger than the comparable means obtained for American and English college students (p less than .001). However, with use of Hotelling factor analysis and the varimax orthogonal rotation method, dogmatism was found to be almost independent of the rigidity and extremeness scores, indicating that in cultures where strength of believing can be considered a part of the socially accepted norms (e.g., Arab Eastern cultures), dogmatism rests on different cognitive and personality processes than in the West.
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