Female Role & Depression in Kuwaiti Females

The proposed research consists of a test of whether Kuwaiti females that identify with traditional roles prescribed for women in Kuwaiti/Arab society significantly differ in directionality of locus of control (external/internal) and their levels of depression, and stress when compared to Kuwaiti females that identify with the more liberal notions of the female role held by Western culture. To this end, the proposal develops a model of the impact of female role on Kuwaiti women's stress and depression levels, and discusses the relationship of stress and depression to locus of control. The model is then used to formulate predictions (hypotheses) of differences between the two groups.

Depression in Kuwaiti females is at an all time high (Al-Ansari, Essam, El-Hilu, El-Hihi & Hassan, 1990; Malasi, Mirza & El-Islam, 1989; Fido & Mughaiseeb, 1989). While the causes of this increase in depressive illness are not known with a strong degree of precision, family conflict has repeatedly been found to be associated with levels of depressive illness in Kuwaiti women (Malasi, Mirza & El-Islam, 1989; Suleiman, Moussa & El-Islam, 1989; Malasi & Suleiman, 1988).

According to El-Islam, Malasi & Abu-Dagga (1988), the family conflict which is so often associated with depressive illness in Kuwaiti women is frequently the result of family arguments o

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ated or, if support is not found, will point to areas of the explanative model that need modification. The development and test of the model are significant because the existing research on depression in Kuwaiti women consists of empirical studies but are absent of any cohesive theoretical model that ties the findings of these studies together by postulating a theoretical accounting of the etiology of depression in Kuwaiti women. Although the developed model is preliminary in nature, it serves as a beginning effort in the search for a conceptual understanding of the target phenomenon, and can serve as a foundation for future researchers interested in etiological and contributive factors in Kuwaiti women's level of depression. Hypotheses A central assumption upon which formulated hypotheses are based is that, the more liberal or modern females' notions of role, the grater the likelihood that she will be in conflict with her family. This assumption has been supported by findings reported by Meleis (1982), El-Islam, Malasi and Abu-Dagga (1988) and Al-Thakeb (1985); and based upon it, the following hypotheses are formulated for testing: Hypothesis 1 - The more liberal or modern Kuwaiti females' notions of the female role, the
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2672
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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