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Al-Darmaki F, Al Sabbah H, Haroun D. Prevalence of Bullying Behaviors Among Students From a National University in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:768305. [PMID: 35548490 PMCID: PMC9082408 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.768305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This study aims to investigate bullying behaviors among college students at one of the national universities in UAE, and also to examine the psychological characteristics of those who were exposed to, or have experienced bullying. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 839 undergraduate students at one of the national universities in the UAE. Students from all colleges participated in this study and were selected by using stratified random sampling. Participants completed a bullying survey designed for the study, in addition to three psychological measures [i.e., Aggression Questionnaire, Buss and Perry, 1992; The Primary Care Anxiety and Depression, El-Rufaie et al., 1997; and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (PCL-5), Weathers et al., 2013]. Results The prevalence rate of students being exposed to or engaged in bullying was 26.3% (221 out of 839). Of those, 72 students (8.7%) reported being bullied, 29 (3.6%) reported bullying others, and 185 (22.8%) reported witnessing friends being bullied. The most common types of bullying reported were traditional bullying (e.g., face-to-face bullying, verbal, and physical). Cyberbullying was not very common. More females reported being bullied in comparison to males and most of the aggressors were peer students. Overall, moderate level of aggressive personality traits and low levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were reported for the total sample. T-tests revealed significant differences in the three psychological measures between those who did not experience bullying and those who did. The mean scores on the Aggression Questionnaire for those who bullied others were significantly higher than those who did not experience bullying. Conclusion Experiences of bullying seem to impact college students’ mental health in the UAE. Therefore, efforts need to focus on developing preventive programs to increase students’ awareness of bullying and its negative impact on campus environment. Offering psychological help for those who were exposed to bullying would help them to deal effectively with this trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Al-Darmaki
- Department of Psychology, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Haleama Al Sabbah
- Department of Health Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Dalia Haroun
- Department of Health Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Zanon C, Brenner RE, Baptista MN, Vogel DL, Rubin M, Al-Darmaki FR, Gonçalves M, Heath PJ, Liao HY, Mackenzie CS, Topkaya N, Wade NG, Zlati A. Examining the Dimensionality, Reliability, and Invariance of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21) Across Eight Countries. Assessment 2020; 28:1531-1544. [DOI: 10.1177/1073191119887449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluated the dimensionality, invariance, and reliability of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21) within and across Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Romania, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United States ( N = 2,580) in college student samples. We used confirmatory factor analyses to compare the fit of four different factor structures of the DASS-21: a unidimensional model, a three-correlated-factors model, a higher order model, and a bifactor model. The bifactor model, with three specific factors (depression, anxiety, and stress) and one general factor (general distress), presented the best fit within each country. We also calculated ancillary bifactor indices of model-based dimensionality of the DASS-21 and model-based reliability to further examine the validity of the composite total and subscale scores and the use of unidimensional modeling. Results suggested the DASS-21 can be used as a unidimensional scale. Finally, measurement invariance of the best fitting model was tested across countries indicating configural invariance. The traditional three-correlated-factors model presented scalar invariance across Canada, Hong Kong, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. Overall, these analyses indicate that the DASS-21 would best be used as a general score of distress rather than three separate factors of depression, anxiety, and stress, in the countries studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Zanon
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Mark Rubin
- The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Alina Zlati
- Open Minds–Center for Mental Health Research, Cluj Napoca, Romania
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Heath PJ, Vogel DL, Al-Darmaki FR. Help-Seeking Attitudes of United Arab Emirates Students. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/0011000015621149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The psychological help-seeking patterns of college students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have only recently begun to be examined. Initial suggestions indicate that the majority of Emirati students treat help seeking from counselors as a last resort, which may be linked to aspects of Emirati culture including feared loss of societal face, stigma associated with seeking help, and discouragement of self-disclosure to individuals outside of the family. The relationship among fear of losing face, stigma, self-disclosure expectations (i.e., risks and benefits), and help-seeking attitudes was examined using structural equation modeling with 407 Emirati college students. Loss of face and stigma were related to self-disclosure expectations, which in turn were related to help-seeking attitudes. Gender differences were also examined with results indicating significant mean differences across all variables, as well as across two paths of the structural model. These findings are discussed within the cultural context of the UAE.
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