Cultural determinants in the treatment of Arab Americans: a primer for mainstream therapists.

As the population of Arab Americans grows, so does their presence among mental health clientele, creating a need among clinicians for information about these clients. The broad lines of Arab culture are delineated: its roots, language, religion, and political history; patterns of immigration to the United States; and the salient differences between Arab culture and the dominant U.S. culture. The effects of negative stereotyping and discrimination against Arab Americans are examined, as are specific clinical issues in treating them. Recommendations for more culturally sensitive treatment are enumerated.

Adolescent motherhood among low-income urban Hispanics: familial considerations of mother-daughter dyads.

A family systems perspective was used to investigate adolescent motherhood among low-income Hispanic families living in high-crime areas. The study focused primarily on the mother-daughter relationship. A semistructured interview was administered separately to mother and daughter in 11 mother-daughter dyads. Using open and axial coding of the data, a grounded theory of adolescent motherhood emerged. The study identified adolescent motherhood as an attempt to restore a sense of stability and balance not only to the life of the teenager but also to that of her mother. The finding that participants became more dependent on and were more supervised by their mothers after their pregnancies raised some paradoxical questions concerning the issue of separation and individuation.