Mental Well-being among Arab School-aged Children in Israel: Current Conditions and The Ramifications of the Absence of Supporting Services at the School Level.
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it reports findings from the
Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) research study conducted
in Israel in 2004. Focusing on the mental well-being among Arab school-
aged children in Israel, this paper employs a multivariate statistical analysis
to explore the impact of socio-demographic variables on the various
indicators of the mental well- being of the Arab pupils. Second, the paper
seeks to ponder the implications of a weak supporting system which is not
capable of meeting the rising demand for more qualified personnel of
educational counselors and social workers at the school level. Against the
exacerbating feelings associated with unhappiness, helplessness, mental
problems and social isolation, as these were self-reported by the Arab
adolescents in the (HBSC) study, the paper also points to the need for
intervention programs that are culturally oriented to the needs of the Arab
pupils. The paper concludes with recommendation as how to cope better
with the harsh picture that the findings portray.