Investigating the Impact of Acculturation on Egyptians' Psychological Functioning Using the MMPI-2-RF and the ARSAA-II: An exploratory study

Egyptians are one of the most underrepresented groups in clinical and psychological research. Developing a cultural baseline for this group on psychological assessment became imperative especially on the widely used MMPI-2-RF. Understanding how Egyptians present on psychological measures such as the MMPI-2-RF was the aim of this study specially to avoid overpathologizing this minority group. The present study investigated how cultural identification, either attraction to the Arabic or American culture, influenced and impacted MMPI-2-RF scores. Discovering intragroup differences such as age, gender and length of time spent in the U.S. were also an aim of the present study. A total of 110 individuals mainly in Southern California participated in the study of which 98 participants produced complete and valid MMPI-2-RF profiles.;Analysis of the research suggests that the Egyptian population sampled in this study are well-adjusted as evidenced by the lack of clinical elevations on the MMPI-2-RF scales. Egyptians who were attracted to the Arabic culture tended to experience feelings of dysphoria, had lower self-esteem and anxiety that is manifested in somatic symptoms and health concerns. Older Egyptians over the age of 40 tended to utilize impression management techniques more often than younger Egyptians. Males who are attracted more to the American culture and who are between the age of 18--40 years old disclosed significantly more externalizing behaviors problems and appeared to have less perceived control over their behaviors. Females who had spent less than 20 years in the U.S. and who were attracted more to the Arabic culture experienced more symptoms of low mood, anxiety, and worry.