Change in the premarital behavior and sexual attitudes of young Iranian women: From Tehran to Los Angeles

The aim of the investigation was to assess the extent to which young Iranian women in Los Angeles have retained their traditional values regarding premarital behavior and sexual issues and the extent to which they have identied with the liberal values introduced to them in the United States. The attitudes of young Iranian women in pre-Revolution Iran were compared with those of their counterparts in Los Angeles. According to the results, the social environment has played an important role in altering the sexual attitudes of those in this group.     

Acculturation and young Iranian women: attitudes toward sex roles and intimate relationships

This study examined the nature and extent of acculturation of Iranian women into the American culture of Los Angeles, California, their attitude toward the role of women, and their attitude toward intimate relationships. It was expected that acculturation level would be related negatively to participants' age at migration and positively related to the length of time away from Iran. Data were obtained from a sample of 77 Iranian women aged 17-32 years living in Los Angeles. Acculturation level was measured by a modified version of one designed by Cuellar, Harris, and Jasso (1980). The Sexual and Premarital Attitude Inventory designed by Schofield (1965) was used to gauge attitudes about intimate relationships. The short version of the Attitude Toward Women Scale designed by Spence, Helmreich, and Staff (1973) was used to assess differences in ideology about the role of women in society and the family. Findings indicate that acculturation level was positively associated with premarital sexual attitudes, a sex role attitude, and sex role attitudes specific to Iranians. Greater acculturation was associated with more liberal sex roles. The age at which Iranian women left Iran was negatively correlated with acculturation. Younger age was associated with a higher score. The number of years away from Iran was associated with a higher acculturation score. Educational level was not significantly related to acculturation. The author proposes that conflict between the pressure to assimilate and attachment to cultural identity may be an adaptive solution in itself. One caveat was the higher socioeconomic status of this sample population.     

New challenges for professional counsellors: The higher education international student population

Using a 50-item, self-report questionnaire, 640 international students enrolled at an urban university campus provided needs assessment data based on the geographical region of their country of origin. Additionally, the students’ perceptions regarding changes they experienced since coming to the United States are also reported. The authors conclude with a discussion of the study's implications for professional counsellors in higher education. Recommendations are proffered for the mental health services and programs needed by this special population of students based on the information obtained from the investigation.     

Cross-cultural perspective on dating relationships of young Iranian women: A pilot study

This study aimed to determine whether young Iranian women experience a conflict in values between their parents and those of mainstream America. Specifically, the study focused on dating and boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. Through an open-ended interview conducted in Farsi, the results indicated that the subjects experiencing the most pressure were those who had not yet forged an identity for themselves within either culture. Implications for cross-cultural counselling are discussed.