Future anxiety among mothers of children with disabilities in Ramallah and al-Bireh : a survey study

الملخص EN

The purpose of this study is to explore future anxiety among a sample that consists of mothers of children with disabilities.

In order to achieve the objective of the study, the researcher applied a study tool after verifying its validity and reliability on a sample that consists of 58 mothers of children with disabilities.

The sample was selected from Ramallah and al-Bireh governorates, using available sampling method.

The results of the study showed that future anxiety notwithstanding future occurring variables had medium impact on the mothers of children with disabilities.

Additionally, the study showed three main observations.

First, there are no statistically significant differences at the significance level of α= 0.05 in the averages of the responses among mothers of children with disabilities concerning future anxiety in relation to the variables of the disability type, mother’s age, and mother’s academic qualification.Second, the level of future anxiety among mothers of children with disabilities is low (55.6%).

This is due to the constant care children with disabilities receive, and the constant support their mothers receive from their families and community in order to assist them in looking after their children.

Furthermore, the study revealed that mothers have high level of determination and confidence in themselves; they believe in their power to resolve any issue that might encounter them in the future.

Finally, the results showed as well that future anxiety among mothers of children with disabilities is decreasing continuously with the passage of time due to the changing perspectives and attitudes of the community towards Persons with Disabilities (PWD).

The views have changed from excluding and rejecting PWD to accepting them, meeting their needs and regarding their circumstances.

Moreover, the community has made continuous attempts to engage people with disabilities in numerous social activities.