The impact of intellectual disability, caregiver burden, family functioning, marital quality, and sense of coherence

Abstract

The present article is the first to consider the impact of intellectual disability on Bedouin‐Arab families’ caregiver burden, family functioning, marital quality, and sense of coherence. A random sample of 300 Bedouin‐Arab parents with one or more intellectually disabled children, and a control group (n = 100) completed the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), the ENRICH marital quality questionnaire, Robinson’s Caregiver Strain Index, the Sense of Coherence (SOC) questionnaire, and a basic demographic questionnaire. Findings revealed that families with intellectually disabled children reported more problematic family functioning, less marital satisfaction, more caregiver burden, and lower sense of coherence. Differences were found related to parental age, marital status, and education level, and the number of intellectually disabled children in the family. These findings have implications for family‐centred care, for the educational, health, and social services that support familial structures, and in public education and community programs.