Psychological Symptoms in Arab American Women: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Racism, and the Role of Religiosity

There is little research on risk and protective factors for Arab American women's mental health, particularly the role played by religiosity and religious affiliation. This study examined two stress-related risk factors-childhood adversity and racism-and three religious protective factors-religious support, positive religious coping, and organized religious participation-and their relationships with psychological symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory-18) among 123 Arab American women (aged 18-34) who were either Muslim (n = 68; 55%) or Christian (n = 55; 45%). Main analyses examined the associations of risk and protective factors to symptoms and whether each religious protective factors moderated the association of risk factors with psychological symptoms. Exploratory analyses compared Muslim and Christian women and tested religious affiliation as a moderator of the association of risk and protective factors to symptoms. In the whole sample, childhood adversity (r = .37) and racism (r = .34) were associated with greater symptoms, whereas religious support (r = -.20) and positive religious coping (r = -.18) were associated with lower symptoms. Organized religious participation and positive religious coping buffered the relationship of racism with symptoms. Although Muslim and Christian women did not differ on most variables, racism was a stronger risk factor for symptoms among Muslims (r = .47) than Christians (r = .12). In conclusion, stressful life experiences and religiosity relate to psychological health in Arab American women. Racism is a particularly strong risk factor, although buffered by religious participation and coping. Efforts to combat racism and support religious practice are encouraged.