Arab American Women's Health Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study evaluates how Arab American women's cultural values and sexual health are related to their physical and emotional health. The study will also examine whether engaging in a sexual health interview affects women's physical and emotional health.

Detailed Description
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Sexuality is an important aspect of health, in part because emotional conflicts over sexuality as well as unwanted sexual experiences can impact physical and psychological health; yet no studies have examined sexual health among Arab American women in the U.S. These women face the task of negotiating their heritage culture and the American culture in which they reside. This may result in bicultural identity conflict for some women as they try to negotiate these two identities, which may have implications for sexuality and sexual health due to the two cultures' disparate views on sexuality. Confidential discussion of these sensitive topics with a knowledgeable interviewer may yield beneficial effects. The overall goal of the current study is to fill the gap in the literature on Arab American sexual health by examining how sexual health is related to physical and psychological health. This will be accomplished using both: a) correlational findings about sexual, physical, and psychological health from information gathered through self-report questionnaires and a 60-minute women's health interview; and b) an experimental test of the effects of the women's health interview on physical and psychological health. A sample of young adult Arab American women will be assessed at baseline via questionnaires for various constructs (sexual attitudes, cultural and religious identity, and physical and mental health), and then randomized to either an immediate or delayed health interview, with a 5-week follow-up reassessment. It is hypothesized that lower sexual well-being, negative sexual self-schemas, and unwanted sexual experiences will correlate with more somatic and psychological health symptoms and lower satisfaction with life. It is also hypothesized that participants who have the immediate interview will report greater reduction in somatic and psychological symptoms and a greater willingness to discuss sexual health with medical providers compared to participants who are not interviewed (i.e., have a delayed interview after follow-up assessment).

Official Title
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Arab American Women's Health Study

Conditions
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Mental Health Wellness 1

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Immediate interview


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Arab American or Chaldean Female Age 18-35 Exclusion Criteria: Non-English speaking

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 35 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Immediate Interview<br>A 60-minute interview about women's health conducted immediately after baseline questionnaires. | Behavioral: Immediate interview<br>* A women's health interview that obtains information about physical, mental, and sexual health, particularly relatively private sexual health-related attitudes and experiences, as well as conflicts and stress related to sexuality.<br>* Other names: Women's Health Interview;|
| No Intervention: Delayed Interview<br>The interview is conducted after the follow-up questionnaires are completed, rather than after baseline. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Patient Health Questionnaire | Physical symptoms | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Brief Symptom Inventory | Psychological symptoms | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 
| Satisfaction with Life Scale | Satisfaction with life | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 
| Sexual Self-Schema Scale | Sexual self-schemas | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 
| Sexual Self Disclosure Scale (Catania) | Self-reported ease or difficulty with disclosing information about sexuality | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 
| Sexual Self Disclosure Scale (Herold & Way) | Degree of past sexual disclosure | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 
| Female Sexual Function Index | Female sexual function | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 
| Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women | Sexual satisfaction | Change from baseline to 5-week follow-up | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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sexual health