Social Shyness among Mothers of Children with Disabilities Based on some Variables in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The current study is an attempt to identify social shyness among mothers of children with disabilities based on (Disability type, mother's academic qualification, and family's economic level) in Riyadh. Thus, Social Shyness Scale was prepared of (28) paragraphs according to five-point Likert Scale. The reliability coefficient of the scale rated (0.97). It was applied to a sample of (146) mothers. The study showed that the general mean of social shyness level among the mothers of children with disabilities was low.  In addition, one-way analysis of variance was conducted to identify the differences according to economic level and disability type; it has been shown that the level of shyness due to the economic level was statistically significant at the level of (00.05), where the mothers of medium and low income had effect more than those of the high income. The type of disability was statistically significant at the level of (00.05), where the most effective disability is autism, oral disability then mental disability. The least effective one was motor disability. However, academic qualification did not show any statistical significance. Hence, the authors recommended having interest in the families of special needs, in general, and mothers, in particular, by providing them with guiding programs and offering services to children with disabilities in various fields.

Keywords: Social Shyness, Mothers of Children with Disabilities.