Azza. O. Abdelmoneium

This chapter examines the effects of commuting children to school on parent–child relationships, with an emphasis on the views of parents. In particular, the study explores how flexible work policies can enhance parental involvement in their children's lives. The study's main themes include child protection, quality time, and the impact of commuting on children. The research reveals that commuting strengthens family bonds through increased interactions and conversations during commutes. However, challenges arise due to inflexible work policies to support families. This research suggests policy recommendations to promote family-friendly practices in workplaces.

Background: With the increasing prevalence of digital technology, adolescent internet addiction (IA) has become a global concern. Excessive internet use, especially among adolescents, has been linked to various negative outcomes such as poor academic performance, social isolation, and mental health issues. Conducted among adolescents of Arab origin, our study addressed the limitations of the literature, which predominantly focuses on Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic populations. Objective: This study aimed to differentiate between essential and nonessential internet use and how they relate to IA in early and middle adolescents, as well as the relationship between subjective happiness with the amount of time spent on nonessential internet use and IA. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 377 students from 16 schools in Qatar. The survey measured essential and nonessential internet use, subjective happiness with nonessential use, and IA symptoms using the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire, as well as participant demographics. To explore age-specific associations, participants were categorized into early (age 11-13 years) and middle (age 14-17 years) adolescents. Factorial analysis, multiple regression, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Results: Nonessential internet use significantly predicted IA in both early (P<.001) and middle (P<.001) adolescents, with early adolescents showing a stronger association. Subjective happiness with nonessential internet use negatively predicted IA only in middle adolescents (P<.001) as greater dissatisfaction led to a higher IA risk. Essential internet use did not predict IA in either group. Conclusions: Differentiating between essential and nonessential internet use is crucial in understanding IA. This study highlights the importance of developmental differences in shaping IA symptoms. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at addressing IA should be age specific and focus on addressing nonessential use specifically rather than considering internet use and screen time in general as a single entity. Cultural and regional factors also play a role in shaping internet use patterns and IA in the Middle East, necessitating context-specific, culturally sensitive approaches to IA prevention.

BACKGROUND Adolescent Internet addiction (IA) has become a growing concern in today's society as the use of technology and the Internet has become increasingly prevalent in the lives of young people. OBJECTIVE Our study aims to differentiate between screen time spent on essential activities and non-essential Internet activities and how they relate to internet addiction (IA) in early and middle adolescents. Conducted among adolescents of Arab origin, our study addresses the limitation of the literature, which predominantly focuses on WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) populations. METHODS This study surveyed 377 adolescents in Qatar. The survey gathered information on participants' demographics, the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire, time spent on essential and non-essential Internet use, and subjective happiness associated with the amount of time spent on non-essential Internet use. Factorial analysis, multiple regression, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Results: Time spent on non-essential Internet use predicted IA in early and middle adolescents, whereas essential Internet use did not. Happiness with time spent on non-essential Internet use negatively predicted IA in middle adolescents only; greater dissatisfaction led to a higher IA risk. CONCLUSIONS Conclusion: Findings suggest that interventions aimed at addressing IA should focus on addressing non-essential use specifically rather than considering Internet use and screen time in general as a single entity. This approach can help effectively address factors contributing to IA.

Background: This is one of the few studies that examines adolescent Internet addiction (IA) among Middle Eastern population. The purpose of this study is to determine whether adolescents’ family and school environments play a role in their Internet Addiction.Methods: We conduced a survey that included 479 adolescents in Qatar. The survey collected demographic data, the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ), the Brief Family Relationship Scale (BFRS) and questions from the WHO Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey that assess school environment, academic performance, teacher support, and peer support of the adolescents. Factorial analysis, multiple regression, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.Results: Family environment and school environment were negative and significant predictors of adolescent Internet addiction. The prevalence rate was 29.64%.Conclusion: Results imply that interventions and digital parenting programs should not only target adolescents, but also include entities in the developmental environment of adolescents, i.e. their family and school.

This article explores the challenges and coping strategies associated with the excessive use of technology among adolescents in Qatar from the perspective of parents. The article presents the qualitative findings of a 2021-2022 study conducted on the overuse of technology by adolescents in Qatar. The original study followed a mixed-method approach: investigating the experiences of adolescents and their parents, and the use of technology in their lives. The study found that the excessive use of technology among adolescents in Qatar is a major concern for the family, leading to negative consequences such as isolation, poor performance at school, health problems, and social disintegration. These challenges can cause not only family instability but also further complications in the lives of adolescents in the long run. Thus, some coping strategies need to be developed by parents to mitigate the negative effects of excessive use of technology among adolescents such as control, building trust, entertainment, and discussion. Such strategies encourage alternative forms of social interaction with the family and avoidance of technology. This article provides valuable insights into the challenges, negative impacts, and coping strategies parents can use to promote healthy well-being among the younger generation. We argue that implementing appropriate educational programs for adolescents and parents would mitigate challenges and promote the development of healthy lifestyles and habits, including the creation of leisure activities to reduce reliance on technology.

Oman’s economy has grown tremendously in recent decades. Social development and educational progress have both paved the way for greater participation of women in the labor force, leading to challenges in the work-life balance. Working women are torn between responsibilities in the home and workplace, creating a demand for new social development, employment law and work policies, and a redefinition of family dynamics. The research project outlined in this paper has sought to highlight each of these issues. Its findings are based on a qualitative study conducted in 2017 on a sample of working Omanis, addressing the principal challenges that Omani women face related to achieving their aspirations in regard to work and family life. Based on the data, the study concludes that greater flexibility in working arrangements for Omani women would ease the stress and exhaustion that inhibit them from attaining an effective work-life balance within the arena of these activities.

Qatar is witnessing demographic changes, which are leading to an increase in the number of elderly people. This will put more burden on the families and increase their responsibility to take care of the old people. The aim of the research is to investigate the consequences of caring for elderly people and explore the stresses and joys of caregiving. The results of this article are derived from a qualitative descriptive study conducted in 2016. This article shows that the main source of stress for the caregivers is the absence of formal supportive policies that would help them in the caregiving process. Addressing this omission would help to alleviate some of the issues related to caregiving. The results show that stresses have caused burdens, including feeling of guilt, sadness, frustration, isolation, and loneliness. Coping strategies and the positives of caregiving included withdrawal, surrender, engaging in activity, and meditation. Despite the stresses and burdens of caregiving, caregivers found joy and positive impact from taking care of their elderly family members, but a gap in formal support needs to be filled.

Families remain the most essential unit in every community. Previous studies have found similarities among research with families globally that identify the characteristics of strong families. This article aims to characterize the strengths and challenges of families in three Arab countries (Qatar, Jordan, and Tunisia). The research will also help to identify implications for policy in the Arab region. Data were collected using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. The use of a thematic approach helped in the analysis of the data across the three countries. The themes that emerged as strengths included respect, love, responsibility, support, good communication, conveying traditions, and resilience. Family challenges included financial concerns, negative outside influences, change in traditions and values, absent/disengaged fathers, and poor communication and conflict. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

This study aimed to identify typical interactions between adolescents’ Internet addiction and family environment factors. 165 parents were surveyed about family environment and problematic Internet use for themselves and their adolescents. Three distinct clusters were identified. Cluster 1 (assertive interaction) involved non-addicted authoritative parents with adolescents at risk of addiction. These parents had occasional arguments with their adolescents. Cluster 2 (aggressive interaction) included at-risk authoritarian parents with Internet addicted adolescents. These parents often had arguments with their adolescents. Cluster 3 (lenient interaction) comprised non-addicted permissive parents with highly addicted adolescents. These parents constantly argue with their adolescents. As we have not identified a cluster where adolescents’ addiction was below minimal risk, we advocate the need to train parents along with adolescents on healthy technology use. The clusters identified can be used by professionals as a basis to produce diverse interventions that fit each of the identified family types.