A Multi-Country Perspective of the Adult Mental Health Status of Middle Eastern Women: A Review of the Literature Público

Abstract

In Arabic countries, health disparities exist between males and females. In particular, a
combination of cultural issues and a lack of social and medical support have been linked
to the prevalence and management of women's mental health issues. Lack of effective
mental health treatment has been shown to increase rates of disease and disability.
Thus, cultural values, social support, and the presence of available clinical care must be
addressed when discussing women's health.

The objective of this thesis is to analyze the available literature on the theme of mental
health care and support for adult Middle Eastern women. The medical database
PubMed was used to search for published articles on this topic, and 41 articles were used
in the final review. Search parameters incorporated all English and recent articles that
discussed relevant topics. Such themes included, but were not limited to, postpartum
depression, domestic violence, depression, and access to care. Permission from the IRB
was not pursued as this paper did not involve human subject research.

The results of this study show that health disparities in this region are directly related to
gendered health care issues. Middle Eastern women are not only less likely that Middle
Eastern men to receive adequate care for their mental disabilities; they are also at greater
risk of developing them. In addition, women with these issues are more likely to be
stigmatized, have less access to care and end up suffering with a worse medical and
social outcome. Prevalence of postpartum depression and domestic violence are of
particular concern.

Women in Arabic countries are at a high risk of developing a mental illness, being
physically abused, or in having limited to no mental health care. This greatly affects the
quality of life of females in this area and is experienced throughout life. Increased access
to health facilities, changes in social structure that support a woman's right to safety, and
an overall increase in understanding, recognition, and de-stigmatization of mental health
issues are called for as a means to decrease these disparities. This paper also revealed a
lack of public health literature on these topics.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction and Objectives ........................................................ 1
Background .............................................................................. 2

Setting .................................................................................... 4
Gendered Mental Health Issues ..................................................... 4
Post-partum Depression .............................................................. 4
Domestic Violence ...................................................................... 5
Data and Methods ...................................................................... 6
Identification of relevant documents .............................................. 6
Study selection ......................................................................... 7
Data Collection .......................................................................... 8
Results ..................................................................................... 8
Gendered Mental Health Issues ...................................................... 8
Women at greater risk for mental health issues ................................. 8
Co-morbidity of depression with chronic diseases ............................. 10
Summary of gendered mental health issues ..................................... 13
Post-partum Depression .............................................................. 13
Prevalence of postpartum depression ............................................. 13
Social support and symptoms of postpartum depression ......................15
Studies of Traits of Postpartum Depression ..................................... 16
Validity of Western tests ............................................................. 17
Postpartum depression and association with number of antenatal clinical ..

visits.........................................................................................18
Summary of post-partum depression .............................................. 19
Domestic Violence ...................................................................... 19
Recognition by medical community ................................................. 26
Legal reaction to honor killings ...................................................... 27
Summary of Domestic Violence Issues ............................................ 28
Conclusion and Discussion ............................................................ 29
Limitations ................................................................................ 29
Bibliography ............................................................................... 31
Appendix A ................................................................................ 40
Appendix B ................................................................................ 41
Appendix C ................................................................................ 42

About this Master's Thesis

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• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Palavra-chave	arabic gendered health post-partum middle east mental health domestic violence depression women
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Yount, Kathryn, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Does not apply (no collaborating organization)

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