title: Grief Experiences Among Female American and Arab Undergraduate College Students.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of grief among American and Arab female undergraduate students, the effects of their grief, and risk of prolonged grief disorder. A total of 471 female undergraduate students, 308 (65.4%) from the United Arab Emirates and 163 (34.6%) from the United States, completed a survey about their grief experiences. Students experiencing a significant loss also completed the Prolonged Grief Disorder Questionnaire. Findings revealed that overall approximately 38.4% (n = 181) of all 471 students experienced the loss of a significant person in their lives within the past 24 months; a similar percentage was found in each sub group. Students reported various grief effects with American students experiencing more effects related to sleep, relationships, academics, physical well-being, religion/spirituality, and outlook on life than Arab students. Only a small number (10, 5.52%) of students met the criteria for prolonged grief disorder; however, most students were female Arab students. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are provided.
authors.forename: Mary Alice
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.forename: Tricia M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: McClam
authors.forename: Sofoh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hassane
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D018912:Arabs / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult