Manal Alyamni^1,, Shaza Farajallah², Noor Al-Wattary³, Nesma Nawar⁴, Yassin Alsawas⁵, Mohammed Alwatar⁶, Abdulsalam Alahmed⁷

The topic of adolescent wellbeing is acknowledged as a multidimensional construct influenced by social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Although much literature exists on mental health and wellbeing in children and adolescents, little has been done to determine the understanding and definition of wellbeing in Arabic and Islamic cultural contexts. In this phenomenological study, we aimed to explore how adolescent students define wellbeing and the factors that can improve or hinder their mental health. Using a qualitative design, 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted with girls’ students (13–17 years old) in Qatar, who were representatives of different social groups and different levels of Arabic ethnic backgrounds. The analysis revealed multiple aspects in relation to students’ definitions and understanding of wellbeing: happiness, success, faith, richness, and health. In addition, adolescents used five core categories related to factors influencing their wellbeing, including social relations, academic performance outcomes, personal commitment to goals, fulfilling religious practices, and self-confidence. These findings can be used to address and optimize challenges in investigating young people’s wellbeing and reveal the impact of social, cultural, and religious factors on the conceptualization of wellbeing in the Arabic community.

Mental health, Youths’ mental health, Wellbeing, Spiritual wellbeing, Family and cultural context