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Neuropsychological Measures in the Arab World: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Although Arabic is one of the most widely used languages in the world, little is known on the availability of standardized neuropsychological tests in Arabic. We review the literature published before 2016, using the keywords Arab*, cogniti*, and neuropsycholo*, as well as keywords for each Arab country. PubMed, PsycINFO, Education Source, Academic Search Complete, Education Resources Information Center, Shamaa, and Arabpsynet databases were searched, in addition to a selected number of Arabic medical and educational journals. After excluding case reports, studies conducted on Arab groups residing outside the Arab world or Israel, and studies that employed intelligence scales or cognitive screens without standardization, 384 studies were eventually reviewed. Tests with most extensive use, adaptation, validation and norming were identified. The Raven Matrices, with its variants, was the most normed cognitive test for Arab individuals (normed in 16 countries). The rate of neuropsychology publications from the Arab countries combined, per year, was less than half of that of each American journal (top 10 journals pertaining to cognition). Nonetheless, the rate in Arab countries has increased after 2010. Publications were mostly from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but the ratio of test adaptation-to-publication was the largest in Jordan and Lebanon. Approximately half of these publications did not employ cognitive tests that were developed, translated, adapted, or standardized according to international guidelines of psychological measurement. We provide recommendations on improving clinical neuropsychology to better serve Arab patients.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Andrea Mejia, M.A., Brooke Leonard, B.A., Hana Kuwabara, B.A., and Kevin Collie for helpful comments on a draft of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, Bethlehem University, Bethlehem, Palestine

    Ahmed F. Fasfous

  2. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Haya F. Al-Joudi

  3. Department of Neurosciences, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, KFSH&RC (MBC 76), P.O. Box 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia

    Haya F. Al-Joudi

  4. Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA

    Antonio E. Puente

  5. School of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Miguel Pérez-García

  6. Research Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Ahmed F. Fasfous & Miguel Pérez-García

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  1. Ahmed F. Fasfous
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  2. Haya F. Al-Joudi
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Correspondence to Haya F. Al-Joudi.

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Fasfous, A.F., Al-Joudi, H.F., Puente, A.E. et al. Neuropsychological Measures in the Arab World: A Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev 27, 158–173 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-017-9347-3

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