Social support, depression, and somatisation among Bedouin mothers of adolescents with or without developmental disabilities

Background: This study compared Bedouin mothers of adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD) and Bedouin mothers of typically developing adolescents using measures of social support, depression, and somatisation. It further examined whether social support and raising a child with DD would predict maternal depression and somatisation beyond demographic variables. Methods: Ninety-five Bedouin mothers of adolescents with and without a DD filled out self-report questionnaires. Results: Bedouin mothers raising a child with DD reported more depression and somatisation symptoms and less social support than their counterparts. Social support was negatively correlated with depression among Bedouin mothers of typical children, but not among mothers raising a child with DD. Furthermore, raising a child with DD significantly contributed to the prediction of depression and somatisation among Bedouin mothers. Conclusions: The findings suggest that Bedouin mothers raising a child with DD are at risk of experiencing mental-health issues, specifically depression and somatisation symptoms.