The relationship between parenting stress, social capital and somatization among Arab mothers of adolescents with behavioural disorders

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationships among parenting stress, social capital, and somatization among Arab mothers of adolescent children with behavioural disorders. Such mothers experience more difficulties and stress than mothers of children with typical behaviour and mothers of children with other disabilities. Previous literature has associated social capital with a significant reduction in parenting stress levels and somatic symptoms. The study sample included 96 mothers of adolescents with behavioural disorders. The participants answered four questionnaires: a socio-demographic questionnaire, a parenting stress questionnaire, a social capital questionnaire, and a somatization questionnaire. To examine the relationships among these variables, a Pearson test and a linear regression model were used. The data were collected from 2017 to 2018. The study found significant relationships between parenting stress and somatization and between economic status and health status and somatization. No relationships were found between social capital and somatization. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the role stress plays in the lives of Arab mothers of children with behavioural disorders and may be useful in creating culturally appropriate intervention programs that emphasize parenting stress reduction and improve such mothers’ health to reduce their somatic symptoms.

KEYWORDS:

• Stress
• social capital
• somatization
• Arab mothers
• adolescent
• behavioural disorder

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the parents who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Iris Manor-Binyamini

Iris Manor-Binyamini, PhD, is assistant professor. One of her main academic interests include Coping of parents/siblings of children with disabilities among different culture groups in Israel.

Ghazaleh Naamneh

Ghazaleh Naamneh, M.A, Is a teacher in Arab special education school in Israel.