The Adaptation of Mothers of Children With Intellectual Disability in Lebanon

Abstract

In many Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon, there is a stigma attached to families who have an intellectually impaired child. These families complain of isolation and lack of community resources that could help them cope with their circumstances to optimize the child's abilities. Health professionals and researchers should be cognizant of factors related to the process of stress adaptation to help families cope with their circumstances. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify factors that play a role in mothers' adaptation to the care of their intellectually impaired children. The results, based on a sample of 127 mothers from Lebanon, reveal that a high percentage of mothers had depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analysis demonstrates that by order of importance, the factors that determine maternal depression are family strain, parental stress, and family income. The conclusions about nursing implications from a cultural perspective are discussed and recommendations proposed.

Conceptualization and measurement of family outcomes associated with families of individuals with intellectual disabilities

“…One-fourth of the 20 studies in this group identified a theoretical orientation. Fifteen percent [Lustig and Akey, 1999;Van Riper, 2000;Azar and Badr, 2006] cited a theory related to the work of McCubbin and coworkers McCubbin and McCubbin, 1993;McCubbin et al, 1996]. These articles all had theoretical inconsistencies among terminology, definitions, and theory.…”

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Knowledge and Stigma Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder Among College Students in Lebanon and the United States

“…The authors suggested that simply having a large social support network is insufficient to improve the wellbeing of mothers in the absence of ASD-specific formal supports. Azar and Badr (2006) attributed the high levels of stress and depression observed among mothers of children with intellectual disabilities in Lebanon to stigma associated with disability and to financial burdens associated with caring for their children. Indeed, surveys examining attitudes towards people with disabilities among community members in Jordan and college students in Lebanon revealed negative attitudes towards people with disabilities (Nagata 2008).…”

Ways of coping and mental burnout of Bedouin mothers compared to Bedouin fathers of children with ASD

“…Other studies have shown that the stress levels of mothers of children with ASD are higher than those of mothers of nonAlthough cross-cultural similarities exist related to stress in caring for a child with disabilities [6,7], individual and cultural differences play a critical role in how parents respond and cope with the challenges related to their child [8]. Relatively little is known about the coping behaviors of Middle Eastern mothers, and there is only one published study on fathers [9].…”