929 In addition, during the last decade research output, international cooperation, and the quality of publication on the issue of disabilities in the Middle East have been on the rise. However, most studies continue to be written by a limited number of countries in the Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon) and are usually produced in institutions within these countries. This chapter will address the gap in the existing literature, and will shed light on the ways in which Bedouin fathers cope with raising their adolescent children with DID. Such research is particularly important due to the fact that the study of “fatherhood” is a relatively new field of research in the Social Sciences. Until recently, most research on parenting focused on mothers, a fact that reflects the traditional approach that a woman’s biological destiny is to give birth to and care for the children. In addition, fathers may experience feelings of failure as well as a decline in their selfworth, and they may develop doubts regarding their ability to provide the care that their children need, and fulfill their obligations as “good fathers”. In general, being the father of a child with DID means experiencing added pressures within the role of the parent, which is an inherently demanding role as is. All this increases the importance of studies examining how Bedouin fathers cope in this unique culture. Three variables were found to be central to the fathers’ coping process with their children with DID, from a cultural point of view: stigma, a
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