An Exploration of Cultural Identity Patterns and the Family Context among Arab Muslim Young Adults in America
- 30 July 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Applied Developmental Science
- Vol. 11 (3), 137-150
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10888690701454633
Abstract
While many studies have explored cultural adaptation and development and its correlates among adult Arab immigrants to the United States (U.S.), little empirical work has focused on Arab youth who were raised in the U.S., particularly Arab Muslim young adults. The present study explores cultural identity patterns and the sociodemographic and family contexts of 150 Arab Muslim American young adults ages 18–25 who completed an Internet study. The participants fell into three cultural identity groups: High Bicultural, Moderate Bicultural, and High Arab Cultural. Although all three groups demonstrated positive general family functioning, the Moderate Bicultural group was distinct in that they were less likely to be engaged or married, and they experienced less family support and more family acculturative stressors. The results highlight the importance of the family context in contributing to a stronger sense of cultural identity for young adults who fall at the intersection of Arab and American culture and Muslim faith.Keywords
This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- Gender, Race, and Symbolic Boundaries: Contested Spaces of Identity among Arab American AdolescentsSociological Perspectives, 2004
- Cultural Identity, Perceived Discrimination, and Parental Support as Determinants of Immigrants’ School Adjustments:Journal of Adolescent Research, 2004
- Acculturation, White Marginalization, and Family Support as Predictors of Perceived Distress in Mexican American Female College Students.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2004
- Collecting behavioural data using the world wide web: considerations for researchersJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2003
- Assessing Culture via the Internet: Methods and Techniques for Psychological ResearchCyberPsychology & Behavior, 2001
- Simplistic Stereotyping and Complex Reality of Arab-American Immigrant Identity: Consequences and future strategies in policing wife batteryIslam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 2000
- The Adjustment of Children From Immigrant FamiliesCurrent Directions in Psychological Science, 1998
- Parenting their adolescents: The experiences of Jordanian immigrant women in CaliforniaHealth Care for Women International, 1995
- Between two cultures: Identity, roles, and healthHealth Care for Women International, 1991
- Mexican American Family Functioning and Acculturation: A Family Systems PerspectiveHispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 1989