Female Mental Health in Kuwait

STRESS, DEPRESSION, AND LOCUS OF CONTROL IN

Class, Caste, Religious Segments in Kuwait Society

According to Meleis (1982), Kuwait is a society recently introduced to wealth, technology, and modern values after generations in which:

. . .most Kuwaitis lived in tribes or kinship groups on plots of land no larger than 15 km that were often further divided into smaller sections occupied by extended families related by blood, custom, or other social or occupational roles. The chief occupations were fishing, pearl diving and trade with India and East Africa. (p.965)

The class/caste basis of the tribes and/or kinship groups of Kuwait was, and still is, based on the religious foundation of Islam which is the State Religion (Ministry of Information, 1988), a fact which indicates the power accorded to religious elements in Kuwait society.

The State of Kuwait, through the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs considers its responsibility to be that of preserving the Islamic heritage of the people and for maintaining their spiritual and religious life. To this end, the Ministry of Information (1988), reports that several projects have been undertaken. These include: (1) establishment of communication about religious and spiritual values with all interested classes of people, especially the young; (2) providing various kinds of assistance to both national and international Islamic projects;

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stic conviences available to them (Meleis, 1983). In addition, the average citizen is well taken care of financially and medically, leaving him or her free to engage in a lifestyle that was never before possible. An example of the nature of the change taking place between traditional and modern Kuwait can be seen in the following quote from the Kuwait Ministry of Information (1988): Kuwaitis in the past had their own simple pastimes such as falconry, hunting in the desert for the "hubara" bird, sea fishing, evening "Diwaniyah" gatherings where men met for general discussions and innocent card games. Women had their own pastimes in their forenoon gatherings with neighbors and children resorted to the nearby streets and courtyards to play. Life was quiet and uneventful. . .Nowadays life is more complicated; people of the same neighbourhood moved into new districts, children did not play in the streets any more, hunting the "hubara" disappeared and there is less fishing. (p.268) The Traditional Kuwait and Female Roles According to the Kuwait-Times (1983), the more traditional female tends to view the modernization of Kuwait female roles as an invasion of Western values into their cultural and religious heritage. This feeling
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Approximate Word count = 3542
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)

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