Middle Eastern and Arab countries have been experiencing significant advancements in scientific research and development over the past few decades. Understanding the trends, patterns, and impact of research within this region can provide valuable insights into its scientific landscape, identify areas of strength, and uncover potential areas for improvement. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research productivity in the Middle Eastern and Arab region over a 20-year period. The findings revealed a consistent increase in research productivity, yet mapped significant disparities between countries in scholarly output, excellence, and impact. Adjusting for population size and GDP, Iran displayed the highest publication activity, trailed by Egypt and Turkey. Delving into the distribution of research output across different journal quartiles, the results revealed that this region has a lower percentage of scholarly output published in high-impact journals (both the top 10% and the top 25% categories). Compared to North America and the European Union, the Middle Eastern and Arab region consistently exhibited lower performance in terms of top 10% citations, average citations per publication, and field-weighted citation impact. The field of physical sciences took the lead as the most prevalent subject area in the Middle Eastern and Arab region, comprising about 60.5% of the research emphasis. Conversely, social sciences garnered comparatively less research attention, making up approximately 8.9% of the focus. The region showed strong international collaboration levels (40.5%), yet relatively low national (24.4%) and academic–corporate collaborations (1.5%). The outcomes of this study can facilitate international comparisons and benchmarking, allowing Middle Eastern and Arab countries to position themselves within the global scientific community. There remains a need to prioritize quality over quantity by emphasizing rigorous research practices and collaboration. An ongoing evaluation of research performance using a combination of indicators can help track progress and adjust strategies as needed.

Delinquency in adolescence is rooted in a complex multifaceted system that comprises several factors such as personal characteristics, family, school, peers, and community, all of which are embedded in the sociocultural context in which they are present. There is a paucity of research on juvenile delinquency and its risk factors across many regions, especially low- and middle-income countries, including Arab countries. This study aimed to develop an understanding of the personal, familial, and behavioral characteristics of Arab juvenile delinquents in the distinctive sociocultural context of Jordan. All juveniles who were incarcerated at the time of data collection (N = 197) were targeted using a convenience sampling approach from a total of 11 juvenile rehabilitation centers distributed over the northern, middle, and southern regions of the country. Anonymous surveys were used to collect data on juvenile delinquents’ personal, familial, psychosocial, and behavioral characteristics. A total of 186 juvenile delinquents completed the study questionnaire (9.7% females). About 52% were not attending school regularly, 32% had divorced, separated, or deceased parents, 6% reported receiving a diagnosis of mental illness, and 91% reported they never sought psychological support of any kind. Regarding substance consumption, 70% were smokers, 26% were alcohol consumers, and 15% were on drugs. About 12% spent more than 7 h on their cellphones, and 43% reported dedicating no time for physical activity. Theft was the most frequently reported offense (35%), followed by quarreling with peers (25%), and possession of drugs (9%). Approximately 42% reported that their friends encouraged them to cause trouble, while the majority (74%) reported that their school had no positive or negative influence on their behavior. Several behavioral problems were detected, with females showing significantly higher scores in impulsivity, inattention, emotional lability, and social problems compared to their male counterparts. Severity of the conduct problems was negatively associated with the length of engagement in physical activities, while both impulsivity and inattention scores were positively associated with the length of engagement in watching TV and using cellphones (all p < 0.05). Overall, these juvenile delinquents have unsatisfactory academic and schooling experiences, engage in unhealthy lifestyles and exhibit several behavioral problems. Differences in juvenile delinquency risk factors across different sociocultural contexts can influence prevention efforts. Comprehensive prevention strategies that reduce risk and develop protective factors need to target juveniles early in their development and consider factors related to their families, schools, peers, and communities.

Modern education increasingly focuses on interweaving drama as an integral part of pre-school education. Given that teachers’ self-efficacy in meeting expected tasks tends to stabilize over time and is grounded in their success and failure experiences as tertiary students, addressing self-efficacy among prospective teachers before starting their profession is strategic. This study assessed self-efficacy in using drama activities for kindergarten and its determinants among prospective teachers in Jordan. The study also discussed the potential risks associated with using drama activities within the Jordanian education system. The study utilized a cross-sectional design with a sample of undergraduate university students majoring in kindergarten education (N = 234). All universities that offer kindergarten education baccalaureate degrees in Jordan were targeted (N = 6). An online survey was used to collect data from students aged 18 to 21 regarding their academic characteristics, self-efficacy, attitudes toward the teaching profession, and communication skills. The results showed high levels of perceived self-efficacy in utilizing drama with children. The reports were high in all domains, including perceived self-efficacy in classroom planning, classroom management, and preparing and evaluating learning and teaching environments for drama activities. Almost 30% of the variability in prospective teachers’ self-efficacy could be explained by their attitudes toward the teaching profession, communication skills, as well as some academic characteristics. Kindergarten education curricula should foster students’ interest and attitudes toward teaching and help them improve, learn, and use communication skills effectively. Measuring and managing the risk of using drama activities in Jordanian schools and similar contexts is also warranted.

Background: Medical students who volunteer during armed conflict may help sustain overwhelmed health services while experiencing concurrent social, academic, psychological, and physical consequences. However, no context-sensitive instrument has been available to assess these multidimensional benefits and burdens in active conflict settings. This study primarily aimed to develop and conduct an initial psychometric evaluation of the Volunteering Impact Scale (VIS) among medical students volunteering in Gaza and, secondarily, to characterize their volunteering experiences. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 169 medical students who volunteered in hospitals in Gaza during the ongoing war. An initial 28-item pool was generated from a focused literature review, relevant theoretical frameworks, and consultations with Gaza-based medical students and clinicians. A multidisciplinary team reviewed the items for relevance, clarity, redundancy, and contextual appropriateness. Following item refinement and psychometric evaluation, the final 16-item VIS comprised five domains: social impact, mental burden, physical burden, academic development, and wellbeing and fulfillment. Its structure was assessed using exploratory factor analysis with principal axis factoring and Promax rotation, followed by confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity were also examined. Domain scores and their associations with participant, volunteering, and war-exposure characteristics were subsequently analyzed. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a five-factor structure explaining 51.2% of the variance. Parallel analysis favored three factors, whereas a theoretically informed five-domain solution was retained for further evaluation. Primary factor loadings ranged from 0.23 to 0.89. Most items met the prespecified loading criterion of 0.40; however, three Social items demonstrated weaker loadings and were retained provisionally because of their conceptual relevance to the construct. Confirmatory analysis provided support for the proposed measurement structure (RMSEA = 0.059, SRMR = 0.075, CFI = 0.911, and TLI = 0.888). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.64 to 0.75, and discriminant validity was supported by heterotrait–monotrait ratios below 0.85. Participants reported perceived social (M = 4.31/5), academic (M = 4.19), and wellbeing-related (M = 3.96) benefits. Mean reverse-scored Mental and Physical scores were 2.71 and 2.60, respectively, with lower scores indicating greater burden. Longer volunteering was associated with greater physical strain but also with stronger academic and wellbeing outcomes. Conclusions: The VIS demonstrated a conceptually coherent five-domain structure and promising initial psychometric properties for assessing the concurrent benefits and burdens of healthcare volunteering in a war-affected setting. Further validation in independent and more diverse samples is required. The findings also indicate that volunteer programs should combine meaningful clinical participation with structured supervision, recovery time, role rotation, and context-sensitive psychosocial support.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the levels of stress, depression, and anxiety among Jordanian university students and whether faculty support plays a role in ameliorating student’s depression and anxiety. Methods: A cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of 18-25-year-old undergraduate students from five public and three private Jordanian universities. An online survey via EasyQuest was employed with prior university approvals. The survey link, including the consent form, was distributed through university websites, student union pages, and online student groups. The survey collected data on perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and student-faculty interaction from 1,067 university students (64.9% female). Results: The findings showed that Jordanian university students experience a substantial amount of stress, depression, and anxiety. While students’ stress increased their depression and anxiety, perceived faculty support had a significant ameliorating effect. Students scored their faculty interaction to be highest on the subscales of validity, respectful interactions, and approachability. On the other hand, having off-campus interaction with faculty and feeling a sense of connectedness had the lowest scores. Male university students expressed more depression and experienced less respectful interactions with university faculty than female students. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need to implement effective strategies to improve faculty interaction with university students and extend their role to support the psychological well-being of those students.