Predicting rejection attitudes toward utilizing formal mental health services in Muslim women in the US: Results from the Muslims’ perceptions and attitudes to mental health study

Abstract

Background:

The underutilization of mental health services is a recognized problem for the growing number of Muslims living in the West. Despite their unique mental health risk factors and the pivotal role they play in determining mental health discourse in their families and in society, Muslim women in particular have not received sufficient study.

Aim:

To help remedy this research gap, we examined factors that may impact the rejection attitudes of Muslim women toward professional mental health care using the first psychometrically validated scale of its kind; the M-PAMH (Muslims’ Perceptions and Attitudes to Mental Health).

Methods:

A total of 1,222 Muslim women responded to questions about their cultural and religious beliefs about mental health, stigma associated with mental health, and familiarity with formal mental health services in an anonymous online survey.

Results:

Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that higher religious and cultural beliefs, higher societal stigma, and lower familiarity with professional mental health services were associated with greater rejection attitudes toward professional mental healthcare. The final model was statistically significant, F (5, 1,216) = 73.778; p < .001, and explained 23% of the variance in rejection attitudes with stigma accounting for the most (12.3%) variance, followed by cultural and religious mental health beliefs (6%), and familiarity with mental health services (2.7%).

Conclusions:

Findings suggest that although the examined factors contributed significantly to the model, they may not be sufficient in the explanation of Muslim women's rejection attitudes toward mental health services. Future research may explore additional variables, as well as predictive profiles for Muslim women’s perceptions and attitudes of mental health based on a combination of these factors.

Keywords

Muslim women mental health attitudes toward mental health services cultural beliefs religious beliefs

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abdulrahim

James

S. A.

Yamout

Baker

(2012). Discrimination and psychological distress: Does Whiteness matter for Arab Americans? Social Science & Medicine, 75(12), 2116–2123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.07.030

Abu-Ras

(2003). Barriers to services for Arab immigrant battered women in a Detroit suburb. Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation, 4(1), 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801207306019

Al-Adawi

Dorvlo

A. S. S.

Al-Ismaily

S. S.

Al-Ghafry

D. A.

Al-Noobi

B. Z.

Al-Salmi

Burke

D. T.

Shah

M. K.

Ghassany

Chand

S. P.

(2002). Perception of and attitude towards mental illness in Oman. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 48(4), 305–317. https://doi.org/10.1177/002076402128783334

Alhomaizi

Alsaidi

Moalie

Muradwij

Borba

C. P. C.

Lincoln

A. K.

(2018). An exploration of the help-seeking behaviors of Arab-Muslims in the US: A socio-ecological approach. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 12(1), 19–48. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0012.102

Ali

Awaad

(2019). Islamophobia and public mental health: Lessons learned from community engagement projects. In Moffic

Peteet

Hankir

Awaad

(Eds.), Islamophobia and psychiatry (pp. 375–390). Springer.

Aloud

(2004). Factors affecting attitudes toward seeking and using formal mental health and psychological services among Arab-Muslims population [Electronic thesis or Dissertation]. https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

Aloud

Rathur

(2009). Factors affecting attitudes toward seeking and using formal mental health and psychological services among Arab Muslim populations. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 4(2), 79–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564900802487675

Amer

M. M.

Bagasra

(2013). Psychological research with Muslim Americans in the age of Islamophobia: Trends, challenges, and recommendations. American Psychologist, 68(3), 134–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032167

Ammar

N. H.

(2000). Simplistic stereotyping and complex reality of Arab-American immigrant identity: Consequences and future strategies in policing wife battery. Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 11(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/095964100111517

10.

Amri

Bemak

(2012). Mental health help-seeking behaviors of Muslim immigrants in the United States: Overcoming social stigma and cultural mistrust. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 7(1), 43–63. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0007.104

11.

Aprahamian

Kaplan

Windham

Sutter

Visser

(2011). The relationship between acculturation and mental health of Arab Americans. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 33(1), 80–92. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.33.1.0356488305383630

12.

Ashbourne

L. M.

Baobaid

(2019). A collectivist perspective for addressing family violence in minority newcomer communities in North America: Culturally integrative family safety responses. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11, 315–329. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12332

13.

Awaad

Fisher

A. J.

Ali

Rasgon

(2019). Development and validation of the Muslims’ perceptions and attitudes to mental health (M-PAMH) scale with a sample of American Muslim women. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 13(2), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0013.205

14.

Awaad

Maklad

Musa

(2019). Islamophobia from an American Muslim perspective. In Moffic

Peteet

Hankir

Awaad

(Eds.), Islamophobia and psychiatry (pp. 209–219). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00512-2_18

15.

Bagasra

A. B.

(2011). Acculturation, religious commitment, and conceptualization of mental illness in the Muslim American community [Doctoral dissertation, Saybrook University]. https://search.proquest.com/openview/ca7dc0a5a3821fc6f064d3c96f6be4d9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

16.

Bakali

(2016). Islamophobia: Understanding anti-Muslim racism through the lived experiences of Muslim youth (Vol. 5). Springer.

17.

Ciftci

Jones

Corrigan

P. W.

(2013). Mental health stigma in the Muslim community. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 7(1), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0007.102

18.

Flake

J. K.

Pek

Hehman

(2017). Construct validation in social and personality research: Current practice and recommendations. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8(4), 370–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617693063

19.

Gilbert

Sanghera

(2004). A focus group exploration of the impact of izzat, shame, subordination and entrapment on mental health and service use in South Asian women living in Derby. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 7(2), 109–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670310001602418

20.

Goforth

A. N.

Oka

E. R.

Leong

F. T. L.

Denis

D. J.

(2014). Acculturation, acculturative stress, religiosity and psychological adjustment among Muslim Arab American adolescents. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 8(2), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0008.202

21.

Haddad

Y. Y.

Smith

J. I.

Moore

K. M.

(2006). Muslim women in America: The challenge of Islamic identity today. Oxford University Press.

22.

Haj-Yahia

M. M.

Sadan

(2008). Issues in intervention with battered women in collectivist societies. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2008.00049.x

23.

Hamid

Furnham

(2013). Factors affecting attitude towards seeking professional help for mental illness: A UK Arab perspective. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 16(7), 741–758.

24.

Hankir

Khalil

Wadood

Madarbukus

Yunus

H. A.

Bibi

Carrick

F. R.

Zaman

(2017). The Federation of Student Islamic Societies programme to challenge mental health stigma in Muslim communities in England: The FOSIS Birmingham study. Psychiatria Danubina, 29(Suppl. 3), 512–520.

25.

Haque-Khan

(1997). Muslim women’s voices: Generation, acculturation, and faith in the perceptions of mental health and psychological help [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Texas Women’s University. Retrieved August 9, 2020, from https://twu-ir.tdl.org/handle/11274/7886

26.

Hussey

Hughes

(2018). Hidden invalidity among fifteen commonly used measures in social and personality psychology. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 3(2), 166–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245919882903

27.

Keshavarzi

Ali

(2020). Foundations of traditional Islamically integrated psychotherapy (TIIP). Applying Islamic principles to clinical mental health care: Introducing traditional Islamically integrated psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003043331-3

28.

Keshavarzi

Haque

(2013). Outlining a psychotherapy model for enhancing Muslim mental health within an Islamic context. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 23(3), 230–249. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2012.712000

29.

Khan

Soyege

H. O.

Maklad

(2019). Evaluation of factors affecting attitudes of Muslim Americans toward seeking and using formal mental health services. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 13(2), 5–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0013.201

30.

Koneru

V. K.

De Mamani

A. G. W.

Flynn

P. M.

Betancourt

. (2007). Acculturation and mental health: Current findings and recommendations for future research. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 12(2), 76–96.

31.

Lai

Surood

(2013). Effect of service barriers on health status of aging South Asian immigrants in Calgary, Canada. Health & Social Work, 38(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hls065

32.

Martin

M. B.

(2015). Perceived discrimination of Muslims in health care. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 9(2), 41–69. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0009.203

33.

Mishra

Shirazi

(2010). Hybrid identities: American Muslim women speak. Gender, Place & Culture, 17(2), 191–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/09663691003600306

34.

Mogahed

Chouhoud

(2017). American Muslim poll 2017: Muslims at the crossroads (Rep.). Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. https://www.ispu.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/American-Muslim-Poll-2017-Report.pdf

35.

Perry

(2015). ‘All of a sudden, there are Muslims’: Visibilities and Islamophobic violence in Canada. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 4(3), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v4i3.235

36.

Pew Research Center. (2017a, July 26). U.S. Muslims concerned about their place in society, but continue to believe in the American dream. https://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/findings-from-pew-research-centers-2017-survey-of-us-muslims/

37.

Pew Research Center. (2017b, February 15). Americans express increasingly warm feelings toward religious groups. https://www.pewforum.org/2017/02/15/americans-express-increasingly-warm-feelings-toward-religious-groups/

38.

Rahmath

Chambers

Wakewich

(2016). Asserting citizenship: Muslim women’s experiences with the hijab in Canada. Women's Studies International Forum, 58(September–October), 34–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2016.06.001

39.

Saleem

Martin

S. L.

(2018). “Seeking help is difficult:” Considerations for providing mental health services to Muslim women clients. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 52(2), 159–179. https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/61175

40.

Salib

Youakim

(2001). Spiritual healing in elderly psychiatric patients: A case-control study in an Egyptian psychiatric hospital. Aging & Mental Health, 5, 366–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607860120080323

41.

Samari

Alcalá

H. E.

Sharif

M. Z.

(2018). Islamophobia, health, and public health: A systematic literature review. American Journal of Public Health, 108(6), e1–e9. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2018.304402

42.

Sheridan

L. P.

North

A. C.

(2004). Perspective: Representations of Islam and Muslims in psychological publications. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 14(3), 149–159. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327582ijpr1403_1

43.

Turkes-Habibovic

(2011). Social context and Muslim women’s attitudes towards counseling [Doctoral dissertation]. University of New Orleans. (1348). https://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2332&context=td

44.

Wang

(2017). Muslim women’s evolving leadership roles: A case study of women leaders in an immigrant Muslim community in post-9/11 America. Social Compass, 64(3), 424–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/0037768617713660

45.

Zia

Abdulrazaq

Mackenzie

C. S

. (Under Review). Mental health service utilization and psychological help-seeking preferences among Canadian Muslims. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.

46.

Zia

Mackenzie

C. S

. (Under Review). Internalized stigma predicts unfavourable intentions toward seeking psychological help among Western Muslims. Stigma and Health.

47.

Zine

(2006). Unveiled sentiments: Gendered Islamophobia and experiences of veiling among Muslim girls in a Canadian Islamic school. Equity & Excellence in Education, 39(3), 239–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680600788503