Evaluation of the acceptability and clinical utility of an Arabic-language mindfulness CD in an Australian community setting

Abstract

The cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity of Australia's population presents challenges for mental health service delivery. Arabic-speaking communities in Australia underutilise mental health services despite high levels of trauma and psychological distress. Clinicians who work with this population lack linguistically and culturally appropriate clinical resources. The aim of this study was to explore the acceptability and clinical utility of a Mindfulness Skills CD translated into formal Arabic. The 70 participants were Arabic-speaking adults, mostly Lebanese-born Muslim women, who enrolled in a 5-week mindfulness program using the CD and agreed to follow-up at 12 weeks. Both recruitment and data collection were undertaken by a female project officer who is a widely respected member of the Arabic community in south-east Sydney. Compliance with the program protocol was high and all but 4 participants continued to use the CD beyond the 5 weeks. Overall, participants reported that mindfulness techniques fitted well with their way of life and were compatible with their cultural and religious practices. Most found mindfulness complementary to their regular reflective prayer. Using the Mindfulness Skills CD was associated with statistically significant reductions in psychological distress as measured by the Kessler Scale (K10) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS21) postprogram (K10; DASS21 Depression and Stress subscales) and at follow-up (all measures). The evaluation showed that the Arabic Mindfulness Skills CD is an effective and culturally appropriate mental health resource for this population group. This low-cost, easily distributed resource is suitable for use in individual self-management and as an adjunct to primary and specialist mental health care.

Cultivating mindfulness: evaluation of a community-based mindfulness program for Arabic-speaking women in Australia

“…This study confirms the results of the earlier study in which the Arabic Mindfulness CD was shown to be culturally acceptable and effective in reducing levels of psychological distress, depression, anxiety and stress when provided to individuals as a self-management resource (Blignault et al, 2019). As in the earlier study, baseline scores on all DASS21 subscales were elevated; even more so for anxiety.…”

“…Program content, which was organised around the CD as the core component, was informed by previous experience with this target group (Blignault et al, 2019). Table 1 provides a program overview.…”

“…The first phase of its evaluation involved a pre-post study (Blignault et al, 2019). The 70 participants were Arabicspeaking adults living in south-east Sydney who were given the CD as a self-management resource.…”

Improving the mental wellbeing of Arabic speaking refugees: an evaluation of a mental health promotion program

“…Finally, it is also not possible to know which changes in MHL, if any, were more or less conducive to the observed reductions in levels of distress. It is worth noting, however, that the self-help strategies delivered in the final session of our program were derived from a recently evaluated mindfulness intervention, also delivered entirely in Arabic over a 5-week period, and which also found marked improvements in general psychological distress among Arabic-speaking refugees both immediately following and 12 weeks following the intervention [37]. Participants in that study, like those in the current study, agreed that mindfulness was congruent with their religion, culture and way of life and this was likely a factor in the positive feedback participants provided about the program [16,37].…”

“…It is worth noting, however, that the self-help strategies delivered in the final session of our program were derived from a recently evaluated mindfulness intervention, also delivered entirely in Arabic over a 5-week period, and which also found marked improvements in general psychological distress among Arabic-speaking refugees both immediately following and 12 weeks following the intervention [37]. Participants in that study, like those in the current study, agreed that mindfulness was congruent with their religion, culture and way of life and this was likely a factor in the positive feedback participants provided about the program [16,37]. Our findings are also consistent with findings noted by Pandya [17] where the mental wellbeing of those participants who self-practiced mindfulness exercises demonstrated most improvement.…”