Given that Latino men and their unique educational experiences are rarely studied separately from... more Given that Latino men and their unique educational experiences are rarely studied separately from their Latina counterparts, this study addressed Latino men's perceptions of their educational environment, cultural congruity within the university environment, and how their coping responses predicted their subsequent well-being. Participants (N = 100) were primarily first-generation students whose most commonly reported coping response was actively finding out
identities is remarkable for several reasons. First, Latinos must develop an identification and a... more identities is remarkable for several reasons. First, Latinos must develop an identification and a sense of identity in the context of stigmatization and oppression. In an important way, their development is unlike that described by Piaget for nonminority populations. Piaget conceived of children going through a gradual process of decentering, in which they realize that they are not the center of the world (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958). Children become less egocentric as they realize their views are not more privileged than others’ views. In contrast, for Latinos and other minority groups, children’s decentering is accelerated. They learn that their group is not just one group among others—they also learn that their group is less privileged and is considered inferior relative to another group. Consequently, any naïve ethnocentrism necessarily dissipates for Latino children as awareness grows of their group’s stigmatized social status (see Quintana, 1994). Like Piaget’s, most long-standin...
Recreational anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use has become a world-wide public health concern,... more Recreational anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use has become a world-wide public health concern, however there is currently no published literature pertaining to its use in Kuwait. Therefore, the goal of this preliminary study was to determine the lifetime prevalence of AAS use among gym users in Kuwait. A logistic regression was also used to assess whether age, nationality, smoking, and discrepancies between ideal and perceived body image predicted AAS use among men. Participants were recruited from 6 gyms in Kuwait. Among the 200 individuals (86.5% male, 13.5% female) who participated, 35% reported AAS use. Only one female reported AAS use. When limiting the sample to Kuwaiti males between the ages of 18 and 30, the prevalence rose to 59.1%. Lower age, being Kuwaiti, smoking, and placing high importance on muscle tone and definition were all significant predictors of AAS use. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are also discussed.
Very little empirical research has been conducted with members of ISIS and Qaeda because of the g... more Very little empirical research has been conducted with members of ISIS and Qaeda because of the great difficulty of gaining access to these groups. This study recruited 30 members of these groups housed in Kuwait’s Central Prison to understand the contribution of moral judgment, critical thinking, and Islamic fundamentalism in predicting political violence. Results showed significant negative correlations between armed political violence with moral judgment and critical thinking, and positive correlation with Islamic fundamentalism. The multiple regression revealed that only Islamic fundamentalism and recognition of assumption (sub-scale of critical thinking) contributed significantly to the prediction of such type of violence. The findings also revealed significant differences in armed political violence, critical thinking, and fundamentalism between individuals in the pre-conventional and conventional stages of Kohlberg’s moral levels, where pre-conventional group was higher in political violence and fundamentalism, and lower in critical thinking. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.
... with Women and Girls Marcia Polansky Nicholas C. Scull Augusta M. Villanueva Peta Ikambana AB... more ... with Women and Girls Marcia Polansky Nicholas C. Scull Augusta M. Villanueva Peta Ikambana ABSTRACT. ... Augusta M. Villanueva is Assistant Professor at Drexel University's School of Public Health. Peta Ikambana is Area Director with American Friends Service Committee. ...
Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (I... more Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda currently incarcerated in Kuwait's Central Prison. The semistructured interviews attempted to understand psychosocial factors in Kuwait that contributed to their decision to join extremist organizations. Interviews were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and the emergent themes identified the following core themes explaining their involvement: (1) religious identity development; (2) personal connections; (3) propaganda; (4) defense of Islam; and (5) social marginalization. Participants described a process whereby their religion became a central part of their personal identity. As their religious identity developed, they became involved in Islamic organizations where they met people involved with ISIS or Al-Qaeda. These social connections exposed them to jihadi propaganda which, in addition to increased military conflict in the Middle East, crystallized their beliefs that Islam is under attack, and they were religiously obligated to defend it. The results also identified societal factors that increased the probability of engaging in terrorism including relatively low levels of education, coming from low socioeconomic groups in Kuwait, and feeling socially marginalized by broader Kuwaiti society.
Given that Latino men and their unique educational experiences are rarely studied separately from... more Given that Latino men and their unique educational experiences are rarely studied separately from their Latina counterparts, this study addressed Latino men's perceptions of their educational environment, cultural congruity within the university environment, and how their coping responses predicted their subsequent well-being. Participants (N = 100) were primarily first-generation students whose most commonly reported coping response was actively finding out
identities is remarkable for several reasons. First, Latinos must develop an identification and a... more identities is remarkable for several reasons. First, Latinos must develop an identification and a sense of identity in the context of stigmatization and oppression. In an important way, their development is unlike that described by Piaget for nonminority populations. Piaget conceived of children going through a gradual process of decentering, in which they realize that they are not the center of the world (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958). Children become less egocentric as they realize their views are not more privileged than others’ views. In contrast, for Latinos and other minority groups, children’s decentering is accelerated. They learn that their group is not just one group among others—they also learn that their group is less privileged and is considered inferior relative to another group. Consequently, any naïve ethnocentrism necessarily dissipates for Latino children as awareness grows of their group’s stigmatized social status (see Quintana, 1994). Like Piaget’s, most long-standin...
Recreational anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use has become a world-wide public health concern,... more Recreational anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use has become a world-wide public health concern, however there is currently no published literature pertaining to its use in Kuwait. Therefore, the goal of this preliminary study was to determine the lifetime prevalence of AAS use among gym users in Kuwait. A logistic regression was also used to assess whether age, nationality, smoking, and discrepancies between ideal and perceived body image predicted AAS use among men. Participants were recruited from 6 gyms in Kuwait. Among the 200 individuals (86.5% male, 13.5% female) who participated, 35% reported AAS use. Only one female reported AAS use. When limiting the sample to Kuwaiti males between the ages of 18 and 30, the prevalence rose to 59.1%. Lower age, being Kuwaiti, smoking, and placing high importance on muscle tone and definition were all significant predictors of AAS use. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are also discussed.
Very little empirical research has been conducted with members of ISIS and Qaeda because of the g... more Very little empirical research has been conducted with members of ISIS and Qaeda because of the great difficulty of gaining access to these groups. This study recruited 30 members of these groups housed in Kuwait’s Central Prison to understand the contribution of moral judgment, critical thinking, and Islamic fundamentalism in predicting political violence. Results showed significant negative correlations between armed political violence with moral judgment and critical thinking, and positive correlation with Islamic fundamentalism. The multiple regression revealed that only Islamic fundamentalism and recognition of assumption (sub-scale of critical thinking) contributed significantly to the prediction of such type of violence. The findings also revealed significant differences in armed political violence, critical thinking, and fundamentalism between individuals in the pre-conventional and conventional stages of Kohlberg’s moral levels, where pre-conventional group was higher in political violence and fundamentalism, and lower in critical thinking. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.
... with Women and Girls Marcia Polansky Nicholas C. Scull Augusta M. Villanueva Peta Ikambana AB... more ... with Women and Girls Marcia Polansky Nicholas C. Scull Augusta M. Villanueva Peta Ikambana ABSTRACT. ... Augusta M. Villanueva is Assistant Professor at Drexel University's School of Public Health. Peta Ikambana is Area Director with American Friends Service Committee. ...
Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (I... more Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda currently incarcerated in Kuwait's Central Prison. The semistructured interviews attempted to understand psychosocial factors in Kuwait that contributed to their decision to join extremist organizations. Interviews were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and the emergent themes identified the following core themes explaining their involvement: (1) religious identity development; (2) personal connections; (3) propaganda; (4) defense of Islam; and (5) social marginalization. Participants described a process whereby their religion became a central part of their personal identity. As their religious identity developed, they became involved in Islamic organizations where they met people involved with ISIS or Al-Qaeda. These social connections exposed them to jihadi propaganda which, in addition to increased military conflict in the Middle East, crystallized their beliefs that Islam is under attack, and they were religiously obligated to defend it. The results also identified societal factors that increased the probability of engaging in terrorism including relatively low levels of education, coming from low socioeconomic groups in Kuwait, and feeling socially marginalized by broader Kuwaiti society.
Uploads