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Ailyn Agonia
DOHA
As Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) opened its three-day virtual international conference on the theme ‘Marriage: Formation and Constituents of Stability’ on Tuesday, DIFI Executive Director Dr Sharifa Noaman al Emadi put emphasis on the institute’s initiatives and collaborations with local and regional partners that have provided important knowledge on the state of families in Qatar and the region amid COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune, she outlined the studies conducted by the Institute including a finding on Arab families’ resilience in the face of the unprecedented challenges.
Dr Emadi said the study shows families’ resilience has contributed to their cohesion, as well as to supporting individual growth and ensuring the wellbeing of all family members, thus benefitting societies on a broader scale.
She said, “A study we conducted on the wellbeing of adolescents in Qatar showed that parents have been spending more time with their children and have been taking part in various activities with them, thus reducing the rates of psychological problems and negative behaviours.
“We also found a decrease in the percentage of families that argue in the presence of their children, albeit in contrast to international statistics, which have recorded an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic. This proves the strength and cohesion of families in the Qatari society, and their members’ ability to coexist and face difficulties and adversities.”
Further on the Institute’s growing role in advancing knowledge on Arab families, especially during this time of global health crisis, she added, “Our extensive and dedicated work and collaborations with local and international agencies have been instrumental in identifying the current state and needs of Arab families, as well as influencing government programmes to support and address these needs.
“While the world battled the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we at DIFI have continued our work in terms of strengthening families. Through collaborations with local and regional partners and participation in various events, we continued supporting families in Qatar and the region to cope with the new way of life imposed by the pandemic and promote health and wellbeing within homes during this crisis.”
Dr Emadi said an ongoing study by DIFI and a team of scholars from the Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Education at Qatar University (QU) is looking into the impact of the coronavirus on family cohesion in Qatar. The main objective of the study is to explore the challenges, as well as the negative and positive effects of the coronavirus on family cohesion, so as to gain better understanding of these from social, educational, financial and psychological perspectives.
“Preliminary results of a sample of 703 participants, 74.6 percent Qatari and 25.4 percent non-Qatari, showed that, overall, 64 percent of the participants indicated that the coronavirus had affected family cohesion positively, taking numerous indicators into account. This indicates that families have grown more cohesive and stronger during the pandemic,” she said.
In line with the virtual international conference being hosted by DIFI, Dr Emadi said through the discussions, the Institute aims at influencing key stakeholders’ decisions regarding devising policies and programmes that support marriage’s growth, wellbeing and stability.
She cited that, given the importance of marriage globally, and specifically in the Arab region, interest in marriage research has grown and there has been an increasing number of policies and programmes across the region addressing its various aspects.
Dr Emadi also pointed out the series of youth group discussion organised by DIFI in three strategic Arab countries to capture the youth’s views on marriage.
She said, “With almost 100 forward-thinking participants representing this demographic, we were able to capture the Arab youth’s perspective on marriage, their aspirations towards marriage, the challenges they face upon getting married, and the social and economic factors they believe affect marital relationships.
DOHA
As Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) opened its three-day virtual international conference on the theme ‘Marriage: Formation and Constituents of Stability’ on Tuesday, DIFI Executive Director Dr Sharifa Noaman al Emadi put emphasis on the institute’s initiatives and collaborations with local and regional partners that have provided important knowledge on the state of families in Qatar and the region amid COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune, she outlined the studies conducted by the Institute including a finding on Arab families’ resilience in the face of the unprecedented challenges.
Dr Emadi said the study shows families’ resilience has contributed to their cohesion, as well as to supporting individual growth and ensuring the wellbeing of all family members, thus benefitting societies on a broader scale.
She said, “A study we conducted on the wellbeing of adolescents in Qatar showed that parents have been spending more time with their children and have been taking part in various activities with them, thus reducing the rates of psychological problems and negative behaviours.
“We also found a decrease in the percentage of families that argue in the presence of their children, albeit in contrast to international statistics, which have recorded an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic. This proves the strength and cohesion of families in the Qatari society, and their members’ ability to coexist and face difficulties and adversities.”
Further on the Institute’s growing role in advancing knowledge on Arab families, especially during this time of global health crisis, she added, “Our extensive and dedicated work and collaborations with local and international agencies have been instrumental in identifying the current state and needs of Arab families, as well as influencing government programmes to support and address these needs.
“While the world battled the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we at DIFI have continued our work in terms of strengthening families. Through collaborations with local and regional partners and participation in various events, we continued supporting families in Qatar and the region to cope with the new way of life imposed by the pandemic and promote health and wellbeing within homes during this crisis.”
Dr Emadi said an ongoing study by DIFI and a team of scholars from the Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Education at Qatar University (QU) is looking into the impact of the coronavirus on family cohesion in Qatar. The main objective of the study is to explore the challenges, as well as the negative and positive effects of the coronavirus on family cohesion, so as to gain better understanding of these from social, educational, financial and psychological perspectives.
“Preliminary results of a sample of 703 participants, 74.6 percent Qatari and 25.4 percent non-Qatari, showed that, overall, 64 percent of the participants indicated that the coronavirus had affected family cohesion positively, taking numerous indicators into account. This indicates that families have grown more cohesive and stronger during the pandemic,” she said.
In line with the virtual international conference being hosted by DIFI, Dr Emadi said through the discussions, the Institute aims at influencing key stakeholders’ decisions regarding devising policies and programmes that support marriage’s growth, wellbeing and stability.
She cited that, given the importance of marriage globally, and specifically in the Arab region, interest in marriage research has grown and there has been an increasing number of policies and programmes across the region addressing its various aspects.
Dr Emadi also pointed out the series of youth group discussion organised by DIFI in three strategic Arab countries to capture the youth’s views on marriage.
She said, “With almost 100 forward-thinking participants representing this demographic, we were able to capture the Arab youth’s perspective on marriage, their aspirations towards marriage, the challenges they face upon getting married, and the social and economic factors they believe affect marital relationships.
