NCJ Number
213684
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 215-229
Date Published
March 2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study explored the prevalence of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of female adolescents in a conservative and traditional Bedouin-Arab community in southern Israel.
Abstract
Results indicated that 69 percent of participants had not experienced sexual abuse, while 16 percent reported one to two sexual abuse experiences, 11 percent reported three or four experiences, and 4 percent reported more than four sexual abuse experiences. Over 37 percent of participants reported being physically abused at least once by their fathers, 43.7 percent were physically abused by their mothers, and 44 percent reported being physically abused by their siblings during the previous month. More than 60 percent of participants were subjected to psychological abuse at the hands of their siblings, followed by 54.2 percent who suffered psychological abuse from their mothers, and 48.9 percent who were psychologically abused by their fathers. The analysis of predictors of abuse indicated that mother’s age and closeness to mother significantly predicted physical abuse while marital satisfaction and mother’s age significantly predicted psychological abuse. The findings illuminate the seriousness of the sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of female adolescents within Bedouin-Arab communities. Health and social service professionals need to broaden the scope of their efforts to reach Bedouin adolescents. Outreach and intervention efforts must be sensitive to the tribal, cultural, and historical forces at play in these communities. Tables, references