Fatherhood in disability rehabilitation in the United Arab Emirates: Exploring fathers' involvement in raising children with disabilities.
UAE fathers of children with disabilities say they are ready and willing to join parent training—so send the invite.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ahmed and team asked 201 UAE fathers about raising kids with disabilities.
They used a short survey on attitudes, support, and training.
Kids had mixed diagnoses; dads came from all income and education levels.
What they found
Fathers gave themselves high marks for being involved and positive.
Most said they would join training if invited.
Younger dads and dads with more schooling rated themselves even higher.
How this fits with other research
Ellingsen et al. (2014) built the 20-item FCDC tool that likely shaped the UAE questions.
Chaki et al. (2025) studied Bedouin families and also found fathers matter, extending the idea to another Arab culture.
Whaling et al. (2025) looked at Australian fathers of autistic kids and saw long-term conflict. That seems opposite, but the kids there were older, only autistic, and the culture differs. The UAE sample was younger, mixed diagnoses, and self-report.
Why it matters
You can stop assuming dads won’t come. Invite them by name, offer evening or weekend slots, and show how training helps their child today. Use short videos or WhatsApp reminders—UAE dads liked tech-friendly options. Start early; younger fathers are eager.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The first agent of socialisation is the family, who are expected to facilitate the inclusion of children in societal activities. While mothers' voices have been widely captured in the literature regarding their experiences raising children with disabilities, fathers' perceptions of their knowledge of and involvement in the development of children with disabilities have been understudied, particularly in non-Western contexts. AIM: The main aim of this study was to examine fathers' perceptions of their involvement in raising children with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: In total, 469 fathers were recruited to understand their involvement in raising their children with disabilities. The Fathers' Involvement in Development and Rehabilitation Scale was used to collect data, which were analysed using SPSS and AMOS. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The results showed that fathers rated themselves highly for their attitudes, support, and participation in training to support their children with disabilities. Demographic variables, such as nationality and educational qualifications, provided additional insight into their involvement in raising their children with disabilities. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The study concludes with suggestions for training programmes to change fathers' attitudes towards children with disabilities, as such programmes can enable them to better support their children's development.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2024 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104809