Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Capital and the Quality of Life of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comparison Between Bedouin Fathers and Mothers

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Culture, Diversity and Mental Health - Enhancing Clinical Practice

Part of the book series: Advances in Mental Health and Addiction ((AMHA))

  • 2298 Accesses

Abstract

Purpose: The present study examined the differences and relationships between Social Capital and the Quality of Life of Bedouin fathers and mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These relationships have not yet been studied in Bedouin community, nor have the differences between the two groups been studied.

Methods: A total of 200 parents of children with ASD participated in this study. The parents were asked to complete three questionnaires on demography, Social Capital questionnaire, and Quality of Life questionnaire.

Results: The findings show that fathers of children with ASD report a higher Quality of Life (physical, mental, and environmental) than mothers. It was also found that despite the positive relationships between the components of Social Capital (Bonding, Bridging, and Linking) and the components of Quality of Life (physical, mental, and environmental) for the general sample, these relationships were stronger among Bedouin fathers of children with ASD than among mothers.

Conclusions: The findings of the current study highlight the need to invest resources in increasing Social Capital, as it is a factor that contributes to a higher Quality of Life, especially among Bedouin mothers of children with ASD. This population is at risk due to aspects of Social Capital, particularly bridging and linking Social Capital, compared to Bedouin fathers of children with ASD.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Al-Haj, M. (1987). Social change and family processes. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Boateng, A. (2010). The Arab world: Society, culture, and state. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brisson, D. S., & Usher, C. L. (2005). Bonding social capital in low-income neighborhoods. Family Relations, 54(5), 644–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bullen, P., & Onyx, J. (2000). Measuring social capital in five communities. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 36(1), 23–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dardas, L. A., & Ahmad, M. M. (2014). Quality of life among parents of children with autistic disorder: A sample from the Arab world. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 35(2), 278–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Silva, M. J., McKenzie, K., Harpham, T., & Huttly, S. R. (2005). Social capital and mental illness: A systematic review. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 59(8), 619–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dwairy, M. (2002). Foundations of psychosocial dynamic personality theory of collective people. Clinical Psychology Review, 22(3), 343–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dwairy, M. (2004). Individuation among Bedouin versus urban Arab adolescents: Ethnic and gender differences. Cultyral Diversity Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10, 340–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fwin, A., & Lev Ari, L. (2003). Social capital as a lever for extrication from the crisis in the periphery. Haifa, Israel: Haifa University: The Institute for Research on the Kibbutz and the Cooperative Idea. (In Hebrew).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hag-Yaha, M. (1994). The Arab family in Israel, its cultural values and their affinity to social work. Society and Welfare, 14, 249–264. (In Hebrew).

    Google Scholar 

  • Healy, K., & Hampshire, A. (2002). Social capital: A useful concept for social work? Australian Social Work, 55(3), 227–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMichael, C., & Manderson, L. (2004). Somali women and well-being: Social networks and social capital among immigrant women in Australia. Human Organization, 63(1), 88–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McStay, R., Trembath, D., & Dissanayake, C. (2014). Stress and family quality of life in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: Parent gender and the double ABCX model. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 3101–3118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manor-Binyamini, I. (2019). Listening to Bedouin fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Transcultural Psychiatry, 56(2), 345–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manor-Binyamini, I., & Shoshana, A. (2018). Listening to Bedouin mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 42(2), 401–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehmet, K. A., & Mehmet, O. (2005). Family in war and conflict: Using social capital for survival in war torn Cyprus. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 15, 295–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, J. S. (2009). Review of marginalization of people with disabilities in Leabanon, Syria and Jordan. Background paper prepared for the education for all global monitoring report 2010. UNESCO. Retrieved from www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/Beirut/pdf

  • Pozo, P., Sarria, E., & Brioso, A. (2014). Family quality of life and psychological well-being in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: A double ABCX model. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 58, 442–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Requena, F. (2003). Social capital, satisfaction and quality of life in the workplace. Social Indicators Research, 61(3), 331–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strier, R. (2009). Class-sensitive social work: A preliminary definition. International Journal of Social Welfare, 18(3), 237–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Hardison, C. B., & Riley, A. (2001). Informal social support networks and subjective well-being among African Americans. Journal of Black Psychology, 27(4), 439–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Knesset Research and Information Center. (2015). Employment among Arab women. A report submitted to the Knesset on July 14, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasilopoulou, E., & Nisbet, J. (2016). The quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 23, 36–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, M. R., Thompson, P., & Saegert, S. (2001). The role of social capital in combating poverty. In S. Saegert, J. P. Thompson, & M. R. Warren (Eds.), Social capital and poor communities (pp. 1–28). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (1996). The World Health Organization quality of life assessment – Brief questionnaire, field trial version (WHOQOL-BREF). Geneva, Switzerland: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wouter, P. (2012). Community resilience and health: The role of bonding, bridging, and linking aspects of social capital. Health & Place, 18(2), 286–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamada, A., Kato, M., Suzuki, M., Suzuki, M., Watanabe, N., Akechi, T., & Furukawa, T. A. (2012). Quality of life of parents raising children with pervasive developmental disorders. BMC Psychiatry, 12, 119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Iris Manor-Binyamini & Fares Ka’Abeya

Authors
  1. Iris Manor-Binyamini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fares Ka’Abeya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Liberal Arts & Science & Innovative Learning, Humber College, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Masood Zangeneh

  2. Spitzer Department of Social Work, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er Sheva, Israel

    Alean Al-Krenawi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Manor-Binyamini, I., Ka’Abeya, F. (2019). Social Capital and the Quality of Life of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comparison Between Bedouin Fathers and Mothers. In: Zangeneh, M., Al-Krenawi, A. (eds) Culture, Diversity and Mental Health - Enhancing Clinical Practice. Advances in Mental Health and Addiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26437-6_16

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation