Psychological well‐being among at‐risk young adult Arabs in Israel

Abstract

There are 548,000 young adult Arabs in Israel, comprising approximately 29% of Israel's Arab population (Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2019). Arab society in Israel has undergone extensive sociocultural changes in the past few decades such as increasing rates of education and employment of women and greater integration into Israeli economy and residential opportunities (Haj-Yahia & Lavee, 2018;Meler, 2017). However, as a collectivists society, it is also has patriarchal characteristics and structure-family interests and family commitments are given priority over individual wills (Haj-Yahia & Lavee, 2018). As such, young adult Arabs lives' in Israel are complex as they attempt to balance between more permissive western culture and cultural norms and expectations (Meler, 2017). In addition to this sociocultural context, they face additional challenges related to their belonging to an ethnic minority group (Pagorek-Eshel et al., 2020). Regarding their sociopolitical context, research indicates that these young people experience more challenges and risks than do their Jewish counterparts during the transition to adulthood. The majority of these young people experience civil and social exclusion, which creates inferior living conditions, poverty, discrimination in employment conditions and discrimination in terms of level and scope of services provided to them (Naber, 2005). A recent national household survey (Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2019) found that 43% of Arab young adults between the ages of 18-24 lived with their families in poverty conditions. In addition, 40% of these Arab young adults were unemployed, and 20% were NEET: neither in employment, education, nor training frameworks.It could be that the collectivist, traditional and patriarchal nature of Arab society (Kawar, 2000) plays a role in increasing their risk and reducing their well-being, as young adult Arabs are often expected to adhere to strict cultural expectations (Naber, 2005). In recent studies among this population, the collectivism within their society is described as being an additional burden, especially among broken families who struggle financially (Shoshana, 2020) and among young

The role of exposure to child abuse, social exclusion, and discrimination in predicting posttraumatic symptoms and resilience among young Arab women in Israel.

“…This finding supports the strong link between multiple marginality that stems from being exposed to adversities in childhood as well as initially belonging to a disadvantaged group (i.e., racial/ethnic minority), and cumulative dysfunction manifested in mental health, cognitive, and physical problems in early adulthood (Mersky et al, 2013). Moreover, it supports the claim that resilience is embedded within sociocultural and political contexts, including structural opportunities and barriers (Sulimani-Aidan, 2020, 2021Van Breda, 2018).…”

“…The period of transition to young adulthood is considered a unique window of opportunity for resilience to emerge due to its developmental tasks (Sulimani-Aidan, 2020, 2021). Therefore, it is vital to comprehend the mechanisms which facilitate or hinder healing from childhood adversities among young women from ethnic minorities.…”

“…Resilience research stems from a salutogenic approach, focusing on processes which facilitate health and well-being (Antonovsky, 1987). This approach is vital to our understanding of young adults who were abused in childhood, with implications for research and practice (Kaye-Tzadok & Davidson-Arad, 2017; Sulimani-Aidan, 2020, 2021). While the definition of the term is controversial, a common denominator of the definitions of “resilience” is reaching better-than-expected outcomes after exposure to adversity (Van Breda, 2018).…”

“…Nonetheless, while some survivors of child abuse are unable to recover, others may develop resilience (Bonanno, 2005).Resilience research stems from a salutogenic approach, focusing on processes which facilitate health and well-being (Antonovsky, 1987). This approach is vital to our understanding of young adults who were abused in childhood, with implications for research and practice (Kaye-Tzadok & Davidson-Arad, 2017;Sulimani-Aidan, 2020, 2021. While the definition of the term is controversial, a common denominator of the definitions of "resilience" is reaching better-than-expected outcomes after exposure to adversity This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.…”

Inequality in psychological distress among young adults: An integrative model of economic, social, and environmental determinants.

“…Previous studies have shown, however, that residents’ perceptions of neighborhood disorder and objective indicators are predictive of one another, supporting the utility of perceived measures as a replacement for objective measures (for discussion see Mattocks, 2019). Additionally, this study did not consider aspects relating to cultural diversity, both with respect to differences in the prevalence of the stressors considered among minority groups versus the majority group, and their role in determining PD (e.g., see Achdut & Refaeli, 2021; Sulimani-Aidan, 2022). Future research is needed to deepen our knowledge on the association of multiple types of stressors and young adults’ well-being from an ethno-cultural perspective.…”