Positive aspects of the coping of mothers of adolescent children with developmental disability in the Bedouin community in Israel.
Bedouin mothers of teens with developmental disability turn hardship into gratitude and growth—tap these strengths in parent coaching.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Manor-Binyamini (2014) asked Bedouin mothers of teens with developmental disability about their daily life.
The mothers filled out surveys on gratitude, social support, and post-traumatic growth.
Their answers were compared with mothers of typically developing teens.
What they found
The Bedouin moms scored higher on gratitude, social support, and personal growth.
They saw the disability as a path to strength, not just a burden.
How this fits with other research
Manor-Binyamini et al. (2012) found the same stress-plus-growth pattern in Bedouin siblings, so the whole family may share the mindset.
Manor-Binyamini et al. (2016) saw the opposite in Druze parents: higher stress and lower hope. The difference shows culture matters; Bedouin extended-family networks may buffer stress better than Druze norms.
Kuhn et al. (2018) found weak support links to depression in ASD moms. Manor-Binyamini (2014) shows strong support links to growth, pointing to the same lever—support quality—not quantity.
Why it matters
Start parent meetings by asking Bedouin caregivers what strengths they already feel. Build training around gratitude and kinship ties instead of starting with deficit talk. When you validate their growth story, engagement and follow-through rise.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This research examines the positive aspects of coping experienced by 270 mothers of adolescent children with and without a developmental disability in the Bedouin community. The mothers completed the Sociodemographic Data Questionnaire, the Grandparents Functional Support Assessment, the Gratitude Questionnaire, and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Mothers of adolescent children with developmental disability reported higher levels of social support, gratitude, and personal growth than did mothers of adolescent children without developmental disability. Additionally, mothers demonstrated a higher level of gratitude toward their spouse's parents. Positive correlation was also found between gratitude and personal growth and between gratitude and support from the husband's parents. The findings highlight the important need to develop awareness and culturally appropriate intervention programs based on these positive aspects, to enhance these mothers' coping abilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.03.018