Arab American Women's Health Study

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mental Health Wellness 1
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Immediate interview

Detailed Description

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).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 134
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Michigan
    • Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48201
      • Wayne State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Arab American or Chaldean
• Female
• Age 18-35

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non-English speaking

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Immediate Interview; A 60-minute interview about women's health conducted immediately after baseline questionnaires.	Behavioral: Immediate interview; 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.; Other Names: Women's Health Interview
No Intervention: Delayed Interview; The interview is conducted after the follow-up questionnaires are completed, rather than after baseline.

What is the study measuring?

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

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Wayne State University
• Collaborators: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mark Lumley, PhD, Wayne State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 28, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 24, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): May 24, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 2, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 2, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): October 6, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 2, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 1, 2018
• Last Verified: October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: sexual health
• Other Study ID Numbers: 064917B3E

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No