Lived experiences of Arabic working mothers raising children with disabilities: navigating rehabilitation and support services
Open accessAbstract
This article explores the experiences of working mothers raising children with disabilities. The study was conducted in the United Arab Emirates, which has a raft of policies empowering and facilitating the development of children with disabilities and their families. Drawing on the social model of disability, this article presents findings from qualitative data collected from both national and expatriate working mothers. It aims to provide insights into their work–caregiving balance and the development of their children with disabilities. Furthermore, this article identifies common reactions, coping strategies and expressed needs among both national and expatriate mothers. However, it highlights significant differences between the two groups in terms of access to rehabilitation and support services for children with disabilities. This research contributes to existing literature on caregiving experiences and offers recommendations for tailoring support services to meet the needs of working mothers raising children with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates.
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Stigma surrounding neurological and neurodevelopmental diagnoses restricts social participation, suppresses disclosure, and amplifies isolation.
“Stigma surrounding neurological and neurodevelopmental diagnoses further restricts social participation, suppresses disclosure, and amplifies isolation (Hammad et al., 2024; Opoku et al., 2024).”
From Cultural stigma and caregiver burden among family caregivers of people with nervous system disorders in the Middle East and North Africa: A mixed-methods systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Opoku et al., 2024
Cites
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa · Cited by 194,414 · see citing works
Critical analysis of strategies for determining rigor in qualitative inquiry
Morse, J. M. (2015) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732315588501 · Cited by 2,809 · see citing works
The psychosocial well-being of parents of children with cerebral palsy: a comparison study
Cheshire, A., Barlow, J. H., & Powell, L. A. (2010) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.3109/09638281003649920 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
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Keihani, A., McLeod, K. M., Ren, X., & Parkhouse, A. R. (2026) · Preventive Medicine Reports · doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2026.103538
- Authors
- Opoku, M. P., Ashour, S., Shah, H., Alameri, S., Aldarmaki, A., Gamil, A., Alameri, R., & Algheilani, F.
- Affiliations
- United Arab Emirates University (AE)
- Al Ain University (AE)
- Corresponding author
- Opoku, Maxwell Peprah
- Venue
- Disability & Society
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2024-06-20
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1669-1689
- ISSN
- 0267-4645 (ISSN-L)
- 0968-7599
- 1360-0508
- OpenAlex
- W4399848562
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5
- FWCI
- 4.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Disability & Society (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Rights and Representation
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Keywords
- working mothers, children with disabilities, rehabilitation services, support services, social model of disability, coping strategies, United Arab Emirates, disability policy, family caregiving
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