"Motherhood forced me to cope with my disability": identity intersection among mothers with physical disabilities.

Background: Although motherhood plays a meaningful role in the formation of a woman's identity, most studies have focused on the process of identity transformation in the transition to motherhood among non-disabled women; less is known about this process among women with physical disabilities who become mothers.

Objective: The present study aimed to understand and describe the subjective experiences of Israeli women with lifelong physical disabilities in their motherhood journey from the perspective of the intersection of their motherhood and disability identities, and from the disability studies approach.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Israeli mothers with visible lifelong physical disabilities who live in the community and raise their children.

From Survival to Growth - The Coping Experience of Mothers of Children with Disabilities During a Global Crisis: The Case of COVID-19.

This study explored the coping experiences of mothers of children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 mothers. The data were thematically analyzed to gain in-depth understanding of their coping experiences.

"It's like a kind of chronic pain that goes with you": Understanding the phenomenon of family burden as experienced by primary caregivers of persons with serious mental illness who refuse treatment.

Objective: Persons who cope with serious mental illness (SMI) without immediate physical risk to themselves or others have the right to refuse to be treated. Treatment refusal has implications not only for the individual but also for the family, especially the primary caregivers. Still, less is known about the phenomenon of family burden while coping with a situation where the family member with SMI refuses treatment and lives in the community.

Adults With IDD in Supported Accommodation During COVID-19 Lockdown: The Families' Perspective.

The present study aims to understand and describe family caregivers' perceptions and experiences regarding contact and relationships with their adult relatives with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in supported accommodation during the COVID-19 lockdown. A qualitative phenomenological approach was applied in which 19 Israeli family caregivers (parents and siblings) were interviewed. Inductive thematic analysis revealed themes at the microsystem level (the resident, the caregiver, and their relationship), and at the mesosystem level (the caregivers' interactions with service providers and other residents' families).

"I'm a good mother; I play with her; I love her": The motherhood experience of women with intellectual disabilities from empowering and intersectional approaches.

Background: Despite the growing recognition of the right of women with disabilities to become mothers, this right remains significantly under-fulfilled among women with intellectual disabilities (ID). Whereas the voice of mothers with ID has begun being heard in research, most studies still focus on the barriers to motherhood and the difficulties associated with childrearing.

Objective: The study aims to understand and describe the subjective experiences of mothers with ID, focusing on positive aspects from empowering and intersectional approaches.

Burden and Growth during COVID-19: Comparing Parents of Children with and without Disabilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have had a disproportionate impact on families with young children, especially with disabilities. This study examined factors associated with burden and growth among parents of young children in Israel, while comparing parents of children with and without disabilities. We hypothesized that the association between family functioning, informal social support, and perceived adequacy of educational services and burden and growth would be moderated by disabilities.

"Together in a pressure cooker": Parenting children with disabilities during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Background: COVID-19 has had a disproportionate and unprecedented impact on children with disabilities, their parents and families. This impact has been particularly evident during periods of lockdowns and severe restrictions.

Objective: This study employed the social model of disability to illuminate negative and positive experiences of Israeli parents of children with disabilities during the first COVID-19 lockdown, as well as the way social environments, particularly educational and welfare services, shape that experience.

Digital Community Inclusion of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness: A National Survey to Map Digital Technology Use and Community Participation Patterns in the Digital Era.

Background: Despite the growing interest in developing and using mobile health (mHealth) and digital technologies in mental health, little is known about the scope and nature of virtual community inclusion.

Objective: The overarching goal of this study was to understand and conceptualize virtual community inclusion of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Specific objectives of this study were as follows: (1) mapping the prevalence, trends, and experiences related to mHealth and digital technology use among individuals with SMI; (2) comparing patterns of technology use by individuals with and those without SMI; and (3) examining whether use of mHealth and digital technologies predicts recovery among individuals with SMI.

Staying connected during COVID-19: Family engagement with adults with developmental disabilities in supported accommodation.

Background: Enduring family engagement and informal support is crucial to the health and well-being of adults with developmental disabilities (DD) residing in supported accommodation. The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictive measures enforced in residential settings have resulted in changes in daily routine and modified the ways families can interact with and provide support to residents. Yet, the impact of these changes has not been empirically explored.

Romantic relationship and psychological wellbeing: the experiences of young individuals with visual impairment.

Purpose: The sense of vision plays a dominant role in entering a romantic partnership. However, the romantic experiences of individuals with visual impairment have received scant research attention. The study aimed to describe the lived romantic experiences of young adults with visual impairment from various cultural backgrounds and to understand the implications of these experiences on their psychological wellbeing.

Family caregivers' and professionals' stigmatic experiences with persons with early-onset dementia: a qualitative study.

Objectives: Recently, research has focused on understanding the needs of persons with early-onset dementia and their family caregivers who often experience stigmatic beliefs. However, to date, research has not provided a thorough and deep understanding of the stigma formation process and its implications for this population. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the stigma formation process as experienced by family members as informal caregivers of persons with early-onset dementia, and professionals as formal caregivers who are involved in the development, management and provision of services.

The impact of disability type and visibility on self-concept and body image: Implications for mental health nursing.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Physical appearance, as in the case of individuals with physical disabilities who use a cane, walker or wheelchair, also influence others' reactions and as a result, may lead to one's negative or positive feelings and thoughts. A disability that is not observable by others, as in the case of individuals with psychiatric disabilities (mental illnesses), may also have a negative impact on one's feelings and thoughts, due to stigma associated with psychiatric disabilities. To date, research has mainly focused on the way persons with a noticeable type of disability think about themselves.

Information and communication technologies: where are persons with intellectual disabilities?

Individuals with disabilities are entitled to equal access to information and communication technologies (ICT), including the Internet. The study to which this commentary refers has shown that over time (between 2003 and 2015), Internet access by persons with disabilities has increased, but a gap still exists between people with and without disabilities. One population that has been excluded from this study is that of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The impact of exposure to war and terror on individuals with disabilities.

Background: Exposure to war or to a terror event is associated with mental health problems among the general population; however, less is known about its impact on people with lifelong disabilities.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of war and terror on people with lifelong physical and sensory disabilities.

Method: Self-report questionnaires assessing exposure to war or terror, history of traumatic life events, presence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and depression symptoms were used to compare PTSS and depression symptoms among individuals with lifelong disabilities, who had been exposed to war or to terror events, individuals without disabilities exposed to war or to terror events, and individuals with disabilities without such exposure ( = 438).

A 5-step framework to promote nursing community inclusivity: The example of nurses with disabilities.

Aims And Objectives: To provide a five-step conceptual framework to promote community inclusivity among nurses and nursing students, using the example of nursing student with a disability.

Background: The value of cultural diversity, including characteristics such as socioeconomic status, ability/disability, sexual affection and ethnicity and/or race, is integrated into bachelor's nursing programmes. Yet, often the focus centres on patient care rather than to fellow nursing students or registered nurses.

Attitudes towards motherhood of women with physical versus psychiatric disabilities.

Background: Women with disabilities may face social negative attitudes with regard to their being mothers. In addition, attitudes toward different disabilities form a hierarchy, with more positive attitudes being displayed toward persons with physical disabilities than toward persons with psychiatric disabilities.

Objective: Current observational study examined whether the relationship between a woman's type of disability (psychiatric vs.

Leveraging Social Capital of Persons With Intellectual Disabilities Through Facebook Participation: The Perspectives of Family Members and Direct Support Staff.

This study aimed to understand and describe the views of family members and direct support staff regarding the use of Facebook by persons with intellectual disability (ID) within the context of social capital. In-depth, semistructured interviews conducted with 16 family members and direct support staff of persons with ID who use Facebook revealed that most participants favored Facebook use by persons with ID for bonding and bridging social capital and for normalization. Most participants noted the empowering effect of online activity on persons with ID, yet some reported risks and usage difficulties.

Leveraging Social Capital of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities through Participation on Facebook.

Background: Participation in social networking sites has considerable potential to leverage the individual's social capital, including persons with intellectual disabilities, whose real-world social networks are fairly limited.

Method: This study aimed to understand how individuals with intellectual disabilities use Facebook to access social capital benefits, if at all. Qualitative interviews and observations were conducted with 20 adult Facebook users with intellectual disabilities.

Attitudes Toward Nursing Students With Disabilities: Promoting Social Inclusion.

Background: Nursing education programs rarely refer to individuals with disabilities as potential nursing students; more often, the assumption is that they are patients. Thus, this study aimed to capture nursing students' perspectives of social inclusion through examination of their attitudes toward nursing student colleagues with disabilities.

Method: Paper-and-pencil structured surveys containing two validated scales were collected from Israeli nursing students (N = 270).

The experiences and needs of individuals with disabilities exposed to chronic political violence.

Purpose The main objective of this study was to understand, describe and map the experiences, challenges and needs of individuals with lifelong disabilities, who have been exposed to chronic politically violent events (terror, war or continuous missile attacks) in Israel. Method The study was conducted within the qualitative-constructivist paradigm. Three focus groups consisting of 18 individuals with lifelong disabilities were conducted; each focus group included a specific disability type (physical, visual and hearing impairment).

Impact of exposure to potentially traumatic events on individuals with intellectual disability.

This study explored the prevalence of posttraumatic symptomatology (PTS) and functional problems among Israeli individuals with intellectual disability (ID) who live in supported residential care settings and who have been exposed to political violence. The sample included 196 residents exposed to chronic missile attacks and 91 residents with ID who were not exposed. Results showed PTS and functional problems to be higher in the exposed group compared to the nonexposed one, although still low compared to the general exposed population.

How to support the needs of mothers with physical disabilities?

Purpose: The objectives of this study were: (1) to understand and describe the challenges that women with physical disabilities face during their motherhood process; (2) to understand and describe their strengths, and (3) to produce a list of supports that health professionals and policy makers should apply in order to address the needs of these mothers.

Methods: The study was conducted within the phenomenological-constructivist paradigm. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 mothers age 32-62 with various physical disabilities.

Influence of a support group for young women with disabilities on sense of belonging.

Women and girls with disabilities face obstacles to community participation and social acceptance. Consequently, as adolescent women with disabilities mature into adulthood, they may have difficulty feeling that they belong both in the general community and in the community of all women. The positive impact of peer support groups for young women with disabilities on their sense of belonging has been underinvestigated.

The characteristics of unsuccessful e-mentoring relationships for youth with disabilities.

Recently, researchers have focused on the benefits of e-mentoring for young people with disabilities, such as greater access to sources of information and support. Relatively few researchers have explored the problem of unsuccessful e-mentoring relationships, i.e.

A conceptual framework for electronic socio-emotional support for people with special needs.

In recent years an increasing number of people under psychological distress turn to computer-mediated communication for support. A related development is the increasing number of computer-mediated support groups in which people meet, share interests, and exchange socio-emotional support through text-based messages on computer networks. To date, a few policy makers and researchers have addressed the phenomenon of social-emotional support through electronic communication for populations with special needs.