Rural Arab families coping with caregiving

This research examines the coping patterns of the rural Arab family in cari ng for a chronically ill elderly relative. The Arab community in Israel is in transition as a result of modernization with changes occurring in the tr aditional family structure, family norms and living arrangements. This stud y was conceptualized within the framework of intergenerational solidarity v ersus ambivalence and utilized a qualitative approach based on the phenomen ological paradigm. Data were collected from 10 family units with a chronica lly ill homebound elder, by means of in-depth interviews. Four people were selected from each unit including the elder, his/her spouse-the primary car egiver-and two other secondary caregivers, usually sons and daughters-in-la w The data indicate the uniqueness of coping patterns among these caregiver s in regard to two main components, which are contradictory to findings in the family caregiving literature: differences in the gender of child caregi vers and the Family readiness to use assistance from formal support systems .