INTRODUCTION Vitamin D has recently become a focus of attention for several researchers not only ... more INTRODUCTION Vitamin D has recently become a focus of attention for several researchers not only because of its importance for bone turnover and integrity 1,2 but because of its association with reduced risk against several chronic morbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis and many types of cancer 3,4. Hypovitaminosis has become a global public health burden that has serious consequences among individuals from all age groups. Inadequate skin exposure to sunlight and low dietary intake of vitamin D have been the main factors for the vast emergence of hypovitaminosis and vitamin D deficiency 1,3 .
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to chronic diseases among different populations worldwide. H... more Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to chronic diseases among different populations worldwide. However, these relationships are still unclear and have not been explored within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population. In this study, the relationship between vitamin D, risk for depression symptoms, and sun avoidance inventory was explored. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among a sample of employees working in Abu Dhabi (the capital of UAE) was first assessed and then the influence of demographic factors (age, gender and ethnicity) on vitamin D status was examined. A random sample of 141 employees from two different major oil companies within Abu Dhabi was selected and tested for vitamin D deficiency. All participants worked indoors and reflected the multi-ethnic nature of Abu Dhabi residents. Serum levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured and depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory version 2. Moreover, the sun avoidance inventory (SAI) was used to assess attitudes towards sun avoidance in the context of vitamin D deficiency. There was a significant negative correlation between vitamin D levels and sun avoidance scores (r=-0.45, p<0.0001). Sun avoidance scores were also significantly positively correlated with depression symptoms scores (r=0.33, p<0.001). This study demonstrated that sun avoidance behaviors were the major risk factor for vitamin D deficiency among Abu Dhabi employees and that these were also positively associated with depressive symptoms.
This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between abnormal eating attitudes, weight te... more This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between abnormal eating attitudes, weight teasing, internalized weight stigma and self-esteem in the United Arab Emirates in a sample of 420 female Emirati undergraduate students (mean age ¼ 23.12 years). Participants completed an online survey including validated and reliable measures. Regression and mediation analyses were used to test for relationships between the factors. Thirty percent of respondents had eating disorder symptomatology, and 44% of respondents reported being frequently teased about their weight. Eating disorder symptom-atology was positively correlated with being bothered by teasing from family, friends and others, and internalized weight stigma. Weight-and body-related shame and guilt was the strongest predictor of eating disorder symptomatology. Public health authorities should consider these issues as priorities for action in order to improve the health and wellbeing of young women in the UAE. In addition, it is vital that public health and medical services do not inadvertently condone weight-based teasing or enhance weight stigma and shame.
Encoding the internal features of unfamiliar faces poses a perceptual challenge that occasionally... more Encoding the internal features of unfamiliar faces poses a perceptual challenge that occasionally results in face recognition errors. Extensive experience with faces framed by a headscarf may, however, enhance perceivers' ability to process internal facial information. To examine this claim empirically, participants in the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America completed a standard part–whole face recognition task. Accuracy on the task was examined using a 2 (perceiver culture: Emirati vs American) × 2 (face race: Arab vs white) × 2 (probe type: part vs whole) × 3 (probe feature: eyes vs nose vs mouth) mixed-measures analysis of variance. As predicted, Emiratis outperformed Americans on the administered task. Although their recognition advantage occurred regardless of probe type, it was most pronounced for Arab faces and for trials that captured the processing of nose or mouth information. The findings demonstrate that culture-based experiences hone perceivers' face processing skills.
Objective. The present study uses an indirect measure to explore whether dysfunctional attitudes ... more Objective. The present study uses an indirect measure to explore whether dysfunctional attitudes are characteristic of all phases of bipolar disorder.P revious studies with bipolar patients using indirect measurements have uncovered depression-likeresponses that were otherwise undetected. Design. Ac ross-sectional study design was adopted to explore the presence of dysfunctional attitudes within each phase of the illness. Method. Manic patients, depressed bipolar patients, remitted bipolar patients, and healthyc ontrols werec ompared on as entence stem completion task designed to implicitly assess dysfunctional attitudes. Results. The manic,d epressed, and remitted patients all exceeded the controls on implicit measures of dysfunctional attitudes. Conclusions. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that all phases of bipolar disorder areassociated with depressogenic dysfunctional attitudes. The cognitive therapymodel of depression (Beck, Rush, Shaw, &Emery, 1979) suggests early childhood experiences lead to the development of enduring dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes. These long-lasting attitudes or assumptions about the world represent af rameworkw ithin which the individual interprets and organizes past and present experiences. These dysfunctional beliefs are viewed as being associated with particular personality modes, specifically sociotropy, characterized by excessive value being placed on interpersonal relationships, and autonomy,which is viewed as excessive investment in personal achievement and control. The theory suggests that enduring dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes can be latent formany years, and may become activated by stressful circumstances, or events that carry particular meaning forthe individual (Scott, 1996). This idea of alatent cognitive vulnerability has been termedthe priminghypothesis and has led to the proposition that negative mood is ap rerequisite to the activation of cognitive vulnerabilities in remitted unipolard epressed individuals (Segal &I ngram,
Few studies have looked at the relationship between parenting styles and narcissistic traits acro... more Few studies have looked at the relationship between parenting styles and narcissistic traits across cultures. We investigated parental influences and attachment in the development of narcissistic traits in two female student samples from the United Kingdom (n = 78) and the United Arab Emirates (n = 70). The UAE students scored significantly higher than the UK students on all of the three Narcissistic Personality Inventory subscales. Higher scores on the Entitlement/Exploitativeness facet was best explained by culture and low paternal care. Culture was a significant moderator between Grandiose Exhibitionism and preoccupied attachment, and Leadership Authority and secure attachment. Our results highlight the importance of investigating cross-cultural parenting influences in narcissism, as narcissism is likely to be affected by cultural differences in parenting practices.
Studies exploring the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders symptoms have prove... more Studies exploring the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders symptoms have proven equivocal. Socially desirable responding associated with the use of explicit measures may account for these mixed findings. This study explores the relationship between in-group identity, acculturation and eating disorders symptoms using both implicit and explicit assessments. Emirati female college students (N = 94) completed an affective priming task (APT) designed to implicitly assess Emirati in-group evaluations. Participants also completed explicit measures, including the Westernization Survey and the Multicomponent In-group Identification Scale. Eating disorders symptoms were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test. Only implicit in-group evaluations were correlated with eating disorders symptoms. Specifically, increases in in-group preference were associated with lower levels of eating disorders symptomatology. Furthermore, participants with an actual out-group preference had significantly higher levels of eating disorders symptomatology compared with those demonstrating an in-group preference. These findings support the acculturative stress hypothesis, and suggest that the relationship between eating disorders and acculturation may be better understood with reference to implicit rather than explicit in-group evaluations.
Substantial investments in health care have ensured the widespread availability of allopathic med... more Substantial investments in health care have ensured the widespread availability of allopathic medical services across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, in spite of this accessibility traditional healers (Mutawa) continue to play a significant, albeit, unofficial role in the UAE's health sector. Citizens routinely consult traditional healers for problems that might, from a western biomedical perspective, be considered psychiatric conditions. This qualitative study explores traditional healers' conceptualisations of mental health problems, discussing their perspectives on phenomenology, aetiology, intervention and outcome. Notably, traditional healers distinguished between biomedical illness and states they attributed to demonological or metaphysical causes. The Islamic spiritual narrative was central to discussions of aetiology, intervention and outcome. Greater integration of traditional healers within the UAE's mental health-care services would, in many cases, improve patient experience and outcomes.
Explorations of the relationship between stress reactivity and depression are relatively scarce o... more Explorations of the relationship between stress reactivity and depression are relatively scarce outside of Europe and North America. This research examined the relationship between emotional reactivity to daily life stressors (stress reactivity) and depressive symptoms among citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirati college students (N 286, 76% females) completed a culturally grounded measure of daily life stress, along with measures of depression and anxiety symptoms. Stress reactivity was associated with elevated depression and anxiety symptoms. In a second study, we examined the efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program within the same population. Emirati College women (N 24) were randomly assigned to either an 8-week MBSR program or a waiting list control group (WLC). MBSR participants demonstrated significantly greater reductions in stress reactivity and de-pressive symptoms compared with the WLC group. These findings extend the stress reactivity literature to an Arabian Gulf nation. Interventions that help young adults better manage responses to daily life stress may play an important role in reducing the prevalence of depressive illness in the region.
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights a b s t r a c t It has been proposed that taste sensitivity to bitter compounds such as, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), represents a genetic marker for an increased vulnerability to depressive illness. Previous explorations of this idea have proven equivocal. This study refines and further explores this idea by focusing specifically on anhedonia (diminished hedonic capacity), a key symptom in some depressive illness, linked also with sensory pleasure. It is hypothesized that diminished PTC taste sensitivity will be associated with more general decrements in hedonic capacity (anhedonia). An opportunity sample of 198 university students were assessed using paper strips impregnated with PTC, the same participants also completed a widely used assessment of hedonic capacity, the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS). Hedonic capacity scores positively correlated with PTC taste sensitivity; specifically, heightened hedonic capacity was associated with heightened sensitivity to the bitter taste of PTC. Furthermore, modest differences were observed between those least (non-tasters) and most (supertasters) sensitive to PTC, with non-tasters reporting significantly lower hedonic capacity scores than supertasters. PTC taste sensitivity may represent a peripheral risk factor for anhedonia.
INTRODUCTION Vitamin D has recently become a focus of attention for several researchers not only ... more INTRODUCTION Vitamin D has recently become a focus of attention for several researchers not only because of its importance for bone turnover and integrity 1,2 but because of its association with reduced risk against several chronic morbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis and many types of cancer 3,4. Hypovitaminosis has become a global public health burden that has serious consequences among individuals from all age groups. Inadequate skin exposure to sunlight and low dietary intake of vitamin D have been the main factors for the vast emergence of hypovitaminosis and vitamin D deficiency 1,3 .
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to chronic diseases among different populations worldwide. H... more Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to chronic diseases among different populations worldwide. However, these relationships are still unclear and have not been explored within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population. In this study, the relationship between vitamin D, risk for depression symptoms, and sun avoidance inventory was explored. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among a sample of employees working in Abu Dhabi (the capital of UAE) was first assessed and then the influence of demographic factors (age, gender and ethnicity) on vitamin D status was examined. A random sample of 141 employees from two different major oil companies within Abu Dhabi was selected and tested for vitamin D deficiency. All participants worked indoors and reflected the multi-ethnic nature of Abu Dhabi residents. Serum levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured and depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory version 2. Moreover, the sun avoidance inventory (SAI) was used to assess attitudes towards sun avoidance in the context of vitamin D deficiency. There was a significant negative correlation between vitamin D levels and sun avoidance scores (r=-0.45, p<0.0001). Sun avoidance scores were also significantly positively correlated with depression symptoms scores (r=0.33, p<0.001). This study demonstrated that sun avoidance behaviors were the major risk factor for vitamin D deficiency among Abu Dhabi employees and that these were also positively associated with depressive symptoms.
This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between abnormal eating attitudes, weight te... more This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between abnormal eating attitudes, weight teasing, internalized weight stigma and self-esteem in the United Arab Emirates in a sample of 420 female Emirati undergraduate students (mean age ¼ 23.12 years). Participants completed an online survey including validated and reliable measures. Regression and mediation analyses were used to test for relationships between the factors. Thirty percent of respondents had eating disorder symptomatology, and 44% of respondents reported being frequently teased about their weight. Eating disorder symptom-atology was positively correlated with being bothered by teasing from family, friends and others, and internalized weight stigma. Weight-and body-related shame and guilt was the strongest predictor of eating disorder symptomatology. Public health authorities should consider these issues as priorities for action in order to improve the health and wellbeing of young women in the UAE. In addition, it is vital that public health and medical services do not inadvertently condone weight-based teasing or enhance weight stigma and shame.
Encoding the internal features of unfamiliar faces poses a perceptual challenge that occasionally... more Encoding the internal features of unfamiliar faces poses a perceptual challenge that occasionally results in face recognition errors. Extensive experience with faces framed by a headscarf may, however, enhance perceivers' ability to process internal facial information. To examine this claim empirically, participants in the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America completed a standard part–whole face recognition task. Accuracy on the task was examined using a 2 (perceiver culture: Emirati vs American) × 2 (face race: Arab vs white) × 2 (probe type: part vs whole) × 3 (probe feature: eyes vs nose vs mouth) mixed-measures analysis of variance. As predicted, Emiratis outperformed Americans on the administered task. Although their recognition advantage occurred regardless of probe type, it was most pronounced for Arab faces and for trials that captured the processing of nose or mouth information. The findings demonstrate that culture-based experiences hone perceivers' face processing skills.
Objective. The present study uses an indirect measure to explore whether dysfunctional attitudes ... more Objective. The present study uses an indirect measure to explore whether dysfunctional attitudes are characteristic of all phases of bipolar disorder.P revious studies with bipolar patients using indirect measurements have uncovered depression-likeresponses that were otherwise undetected. Design. Ac ross-sectional study design was adopted to explore the presence of dysfunctional attitudes within each phase of the illness. Method. Manic patients, depressed bipolar patients, remitted bipolar patients, and healthyc ontrols werec ompared on as entence stem completion task designed to implicitly assess dysfunctional attitudes. Results. The manic,d epressed, and remitted patients all exceeded the controls on implicit measures of dysfunctional attitudes. Conclusions. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that all phases of bipolar disorder areassociated with depressogenic dysfunctional attitudes. The cognitive therapymodel of depression (Beck, Rush, Shaw, &Emery, 1979) suggests early childhood experiences lead to the development of enduring dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes. These long-lasting attitudes or assumptions about the world represent af rameworkw ithin which the individual interprets and organizes past and present experiences. These dysfunctional beliefs are viewed as being associated with particular personality modes, specifically sociotropy, characterized by excessive value being placed on interpersonal relationships, and autonomy,which is viewed as excessive investment in personal achievement and control. The theory suggests that enduring dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes can be latent formany years, and may become activated by stressful circumstances, or events that carry particular meaning forthe individual (Scott, 1996). This idea of alatent cognitive vulnerability has been termedthe priminghypothesis and has led to the proposition that negative mood is ap rerequisite to the activation of cognitive vulnerabilities in remitted unipolard epressed individuals (Segal &I ngram,
Few studies have looked at the relationship between parenting styles and narcissistic traits acro... more Few studies have looked at the relationship between parenting styles and narcissistic traits across cultures. We investigated parental influences and attachment in the development of narcissistic traits in two female student samples from the United Kingdom (n = 78) and the United Arab Emirates (n = 70). The UAE students scored significantly higher than the UK students on all of the three Narcissistic Personality Inventory subscales. Higher scores on the Entitlement/Exploitativeness facet was best explained by culture and low paternal care. Culture was a significant moderator between Grandiose Exhibitionism and preoccupied attachment, and Leadership Authority and secure attachment. Our results highlight the importance of investigating cross-cultural parenting influences in narcissism, as narcissism is likely to be affected by cultural differences in parenting practices.
Studies exploring the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders symptoms have prove... more Studies exploring the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders symptoms have proven equivocal. Socially desirable responding associated with the use of explicit measures may account for these mixed findings. This study explores the relationship between in-group identity, acculturation and eating disorders symptoms using both implicit and explicit assessments. Emirati female college students (N = 94) completed an affective priming task (APT) designed to implicitly assess Emirati in-group evaluations. Participants also completed explicit measures, including the Westernization Survey and the Multicomponent In-group Identification Scale. Eating disorders symptoms were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test. Only implicit in-group evaluations were correlated with eating disorders symptoms. Specifically, increases in in-group preference were associated with lower levels of eating disorders symptomatology. Furthermore, participants with an actual out-group preference had significantly higher levels of eating disorders symptomatology compared with those demonstrating an in-group preference. These findings support the acculturative stress hypothesis, and suggest that the relationship between eating disorders and acculturation may be better understood with reference to implicit rather than explicit in-group evaluations.
Substantial investments in health care have ensured the widespread availability of allopathic med... more Substantial investments in health care have ensured the widespread availability of allopathic medical services across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, in spite of this accessibility traditional healers (Mutawa) continue to play a significant, albeit, unofficial role in the UAE's health sector. Citizens routinely consult traditional healers for problems that might, from a western biomedical perspective, be considered psychiatric conditions. This qualitative study explores traditional healers' conceptualisations of mental health problems, discussing their perspectives on phenomenology, aetiology, intervention and outcome. Notably, traditional healers distinguished between biomedical illness and states they attributed to demonological or metaphysical causes. The Islamic spiritual narrative was central to discussions of aetiology, intervention and outcome. Greater integration of traditional healers within the UAE's mental health-care services would, in many cases, improve patient experience and outcomes.
Explorations of the relationship between stress reactivity and depression are relatively scarce o... more Explorations of the relationship between stress reactivity and depression are relatively scarce outside of Europe and North America. This research examined the relationship between emotional reactivity to daily life stressors (stress reactivity) and depressive symptoms among citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirati college students (N 286, 76% females) completed a culturally grounded measure of daily life stress, along with measures of depression and anxiety symptoms. Stress reactivity was associated with elevated depression and anxiety symptoms. In a second study, we examined the efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program within the same population. Emirati College women (N 24) were randomly assigned to either an 8-week MBSR program or a waiting list control group (WLC). MBSR participants demonstrated significantly greater reductions in stress reactivity and de-pressive symptoms compared with the WLC group. These findings extend the stress reactivity literature to an Arabian Gulf nation. Interventions that help young adults better manage responses to daily life stress may play an important role in reducing the prevalence of depressive illness in the region.
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights a b s t r a c t It has been proposed that taste sensitivity to bitter compounds such as, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), represents a genetic marker for an increased vulnerability to depressive illness. Previous explorations of this idea have proven equivocal. This study refines and further explores this idea by focusing specifically on anhedonia (diminished hedonic capacity), a key symptom in some depressive illness, linked also with sensory pleasure. It is hypothesized that diminished PTC taste sensitivity will be associated with more general decrements in hedonic capacity (anhedonia). An opportunity sample of 198 university students were assessed using paper strips impregnated with PTC, the same participants also completed a widely used assessment of hedonic capacity, the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS). Hedonic capacity scores positively correlated with PTC taste sensitivity; specifically, heightened hedonic capacity was associated with heightened sensitivity to the bitter taste of PTC. Furthermore, modest differences were observed between those least (non-tasters) and most (supertasters) sensitive to PTC, with non-tasters reporting significantly lower hedonic capacity scores than supertasters. PTC taste sensitivity may represent a peripheral risk factor for anhedonia.
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