ARAB-AMERICAN IMMIGRANT PARENTS' SOCIAL NETWORKS AND HEALTH CARE OF CHILDREN (SUPPORT, CONCEPT, BEHAVIOR, HELP-SEEKING).
Contributors: University of California, San Francisco.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 234
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 85 Arab-American immigrant parents' social environment and child health care had as its purposes: (1) to describe the parents' perceptions of the health status and health care of their children, their health behaviors for their children, and their help-seeking patterns, social networks, and social support; and (2) to explore similarities and differences among Egyptian-American, Palestinian-American, and Yemeni-American parents in each of the areas described.

Data were collected in three years of participant observation and unstructured interviews and 14 months of structured interviews in a field research context. For the structured interviews a Life History/Demographic Interview Guide, Child Health Care Interview Guide, the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), Supplementary Social Support Questions, and Hirsch Support System Map were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Welch Aspin t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and content analysis.

Results indicate that the parents considered their children as generally healthy in spite of the presence of some minor health problems. They conceptualized health as a multidimensional phenomenon that emphasizes physical condition but also includes other dimensions. Mothers' and fathers' health behaviors for their children reflect some commonalities such as concerns with feeding, nutrition, and exercise.

Parents' most common sources of child care were physician or health maintenance organization. Most common sources of referral to health care providers were friends and relatives. Regarding patterns of help-seeking, Egyptian-American parents were more likely to seek help for child health concerns (p < .05) than were Yemeni-American parents, who were more likely to rely on themselves. Palestinian-American parents were almost evenly divided between relying on themselves and seeking help.

Comparison of NSSQ scores of the immigrant parents with NSSQ normative data revealed a statistically significant difference (p < .01) between the two groups. The immigrant parents' scores were lower on all functional and network variables, which may reflect a perception of less social support available. Parents who had been in the United States less than ten years had a greater (p < .05) proportion of social network members outside the U.S. than did immigrants who had been here ten years or more. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: B, page: 0134.

Thesis (D.N.S.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, 1985.

School code: 0034.