Abstract of A. Al-Krenawi lecture

THE IMPACT OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY ON CAREGIVER

BURDEN, FAMILY FUNCTIONING, MARITAL QUALITY, AND

SENSE OF COHERENCE

A. Al-Krenawi

Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

This presentation 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 familycentered

care, for the educational, health, and social services that

support familial structures, and in public education and community

programs.