In recent years, the foreign funding of Islamic institutions has arisen as a matter of political contention in the context of various West-European countries and the public debate about how to...Show moreIn recent years, the foreign funding of Islamic institutions has arisen as a matter of political contention in the context of various West-European countries and the public debate about how to engage with this subject is fraught with controversy. Turkey’s Diyanet occupies a central position as the principal recipient of critique. There is a prominent gap in academic literature regarding which factors can produce mistrust against the Diyanet in the public opinions of West-European countries. This research aims to contribute to filling this gap by tracing the relationship between the Dutch government and the Dutch branch of the Diyanet, the Islamitische Stichting Nederland (ISN). It investigates whether there is an overarching correspondence between mistrust against the ISN rising in Dutch public opinion and deepening Islamization in Turkish domestic politics.Show less
Objective: Research on loneliness suggests that loneliness increases physical and mental health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the predictor role of psychological distress, childhood...Show moreObjective: Research on loneliness suggests that loneliness increases physical and mental health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the predictor role of psychological distress, childhood trauma, mistrust, and the living situation on loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic to identify vulnerable groups. Methods: 349 participants took part in this cross-sectional study. They completed online selfquestionnaires assessing their level of loneliness, psychological distress, childhood trauma, mistrust, and living situation. The study was conducted online during September 2020 and April 2021 at the Universities of Leiden (the Netherlands) and Mannheim (Germany). Most of the respondents were 18-25 years old university students from 30 different nationalities. Results: The results indicated that childhood trauma (B =.074, SE =.012 t = 6.29, p < .05) and psychological distress (B = .007, SE = .003, t = 2.11, p < .05) predict loneliness while mistrust (B = -.074, SE =.044, t = -1.68, p = .092) does not. The effect of psychological distress became insignificant, when controlling for the other predictor variables (β = .003, SE =.003 t = 1.11, p =.26). No significant effect was found on loneliness score between two categories of living situation (F(1,347) =.64, p =.424, ηp 2 =.002). There was no significant interaction between childhood trauma and psychological distress. Conclusions: The current study highlights that experiencing childhood trauma is a risk factor for the feeling of loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prospective research is needed to fully understand the reasons and consequences of loneliness and its relationship with possible risk factors.Show less
