Arie Rimmerman | University of Haifa (original) (raw)
Papers by Arie Rimmerman
Research in Developmental Disabilities, Oct 1, 2020
Background: In general, there is extensive research on parents of young children with ID, particu... more Background: In general, there is extensive research on parents of young children with ID, particularly studies on stress and coping, social support as associated with quality of life. Unfortunately, there is scarce evidence-based knowledge on parental coping resources and wellbeing during the transition of their offspring from childhood to adulthood and thereafter. Aims: This research responds to the scarce knowledge on the effect of the transition of children with ID into adulthood and particularly within adulthood on families. It examined the social, psychological, and financial differences among caregivers of offspring with ID in three age groups: (1) under the age of 21; (2) 21-30; (3) 31 and above. Methods and procedures: Three hundred and one caregivers completed an income and expenditure survey, including out-of-pocket expenditures, assets and liabilities index, services use survey, financial and other types of assistance from friends and family, a questionnaire regarding resources and stress levels, a social participation scale, and personal wellbeing index. Results: A statistically significant differences have been detected in the three caregivers' groups regarding the number of hours spent outside the house, social support, negative feelings such as frustration, sadness, and concern, life satisfaction and well-being. No significant differences have been identified in financial outcomes among caregivers' groups. Conclusions and implications: Findings are discussed in respect to research and practice and highlight caregivers' concerns regarding the transition of their offspring from adolescence to adulthood and afterward and in parallel to their own aging process.
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, May 6, 2021
BACKGROUND The study explores whether households' socio-economic status and social involvemen... more BACKGROUND The study explores whether households' socio-economic status and social involvement can moderate the association between stress and subjective well-being among parents of offspring with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). METHOD The random national sample comprised 301 parents caring for offspring with IDD. Measurements consist of a household income survey, a questionnaire on resources and stress, a social involvement questionnaire and a personal well-being index. Using PROCESS software, a regression-based path analysis has been used to test the moderating effect of social involvement and socio-economic status on the association between stress and subjective well-being. RESULTS Social involvement moderated the association between parental stress and subjective well-being. At high levels of parental stress only, parents with increased social involvement reported better subjective well-being. Significant interaction was observed between stress and socio-economic status. CONCLUSIONS Among parents raising offspring with IDD, social involvement may enhance the relationship between parental stress and subjective well-being. At lower stress levels, better socio-economic status is associated with increased subjective well-being.
This chapter examines Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with D... more This chapter examines Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). ‘Living independently and being included in the community’, is one of the most important rights in the CRPD, since choice, freedom, and inclusion are considered as prerequisites for exercising all other rights. To facilitate such autonomy and participation, it requires ratifying states to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to choose where and with whom they live; and that they have access to the range of services necessary to support community living and to prevent isolation or segregation. Living independently does not mean living alone; rather, it means exercising freedom of choice and control over decisions affecting one’s life with the same level of independence and interdependence within society on an equal basis with other.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Nov 1, 2017
The Internet has the power to enrich the lives of persons with and without disabilities, and incr... more The Internet has the power to enrich the lives of persons with and without disabilities, and increase independence and subjective well-being. Using path analysis, the study examines the role of Internet use, offline social participation, and connectedness in explaining life satisfaction among people with and without disabilities. Two mediating models have been examined: the first hypothesizes that social participation and connectedness are mediating variables between online use and life satisfaction; the second posits that the association between participation and connectedness to life satisfaction is mediated by Internet use. The secondary data utilized measures from the Kessler National Organization on Disability, 2000 and 2004-Harris survey on a national sample of 557 Israelis with disabilities and a parallel sample of 551 people without disabilities. Findings indicate that people with disabilities tend to participate less and have weaker level of connectedness, and consequently are less satisfied with their life, than persons without disabilities. No significant difference has been found between the two groups in social and other online activities. In terms of the mediating models, the first mediation model has been confirmed for people with disabilities-both connectedness and participation serve as mediators between online social activity and life satisfaction. Interestingly, among those without disabilities, only connectedness has been a mediator in the path between social and other online activities and life satisfaction. Findings are discussed is respect to future research and rehabilitation practice.
Family Policy and Disability, 2015
The British Journal of Social Work, 2021
Arab society in Israel is undergoing modernisation and secularisation. However, its approach to d... more Arab society in Israel is undergoing modernisation and secularisation. However, its approach to disability and mental illness is still dominated by religious and traditional stereotypes, as well as folk remedies and community practices. The present study examines differences in Muslim social workers and Imams’ recommendations in marriage/divorce and child custody cases of persons with intellectual disabilities (IDs) or mental illness. The study has two goals: (1) To examine differences in recommendations between Imams and Muslim social workers and (2) to explore variables related to their differential recommendations as observed in their responses to vignettes. Quantitative study using vignettes resembling existing Muslim religious (Sharia) court cases. Muslim social workers (138) and Imams (forty-eight) completed a background questionnaire, a religiosity questionnaire and a questionnaire that included twenty-five vignettes constructed by the researcher based on court rulings, adapt...
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, Dec 1, 2012
This research examines the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting supporti... more This research examines the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting supportive behaviors by parents and adult siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability. Participants were 67 parents and 63 siblings whose immediate relatives with intellectual disability resided in two institutional care facilities. Three aspects of supportive assistance behavior were evaluated: home visits, visits to the institution, and the relationship with the caregiving staff. Findings indicated that subjective norms held by siblings and parents predicted the frequency of home visits. Perceived behavioral control predicted the frequency of contact between siblings and staff. Thus, the applicability of the theory with respect to supportive behavior by the parents and siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability was partly substantiated by our findings. The findings are discussed with respect to the applicability of Theory of Planned Behavior.
Work-a Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation, Oct 20, 2020
BACKGROUND: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) assumes that pers... more BACKGROUND: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) assumes that persons with disabilities have similar rights, motivations to work and personal values as those without disabilities. OBJECTIVE: The article examines the corroboration between this assumption and real-life facts to better understand the importance of labor-oriented values in people with disabilities. METHODS: We tested the relationship between human values, employment and wages among Israelis with disabilities who cope with prejudice, negative attitudes and a lack of accessible workplaces in comparison to Israelis without disabilities. RESULTS: We found that the effect of labor-oriented values on employment status is 70% higher among people with disabilities than among those without disabilities. Furthermore, persons with disabilities ranked power and achievement as important values related to employment, but these values were not included in the considerations of persons without disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the importance of labor-oriented values for people with disabilities to overcome challenges in the labor market. Our findings suggest that rehabilitation policies would benefit from identifying personal human values of people with disabilities at an early stage of their career.
Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2020
This longitudinal population cohort study tracks the transition of 1,405 adolescents with autism ... more This longitudinal population cohort study tracks the transition of 1,405 adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) into adulthood, and highlights functional and social skills as core predictors of social outcomes (tertiary education, civic volunteering, and employment). Applying regression methods with sample selectivity to administrative data records obtained from Israel’s National Insurance Institute, we show that these outcomes are not highly correlated, suggesting that the high/low functioning dichotomy frequently used to categorize individuals with ASD is not supported by these data. We show that there is no causal relation between civic volunteering at an earlier stage and subsequent participation in tertiary education. This suggests that the traditional sequential model of developmental disability does not apply to ASD, and that the social-functional model of disability seems more applicable. We also show that functional and social severity vary inversely with year of...
International journal of developmental disabilities, Oct 8, 2016
This study explores whether aging mothers living in two-parent families whose offspring with inte... more This study explores whether aging mothers living in two-parent families whose offspring with intellectual disabilities do better in respect to their undesired daily life events, level of social support and well-being scores than mothers of one-parent families and whether there is difference related to their living arrangement (living with their offspring at home or out-of-home)? Sample consists of 160 Israeli aging mothers of adult children with intellectual disabilities living at home or out-of-home. Core findings show that one-parent mothers do worse in respect to undesired life events than those living in two-parent ones. However, mothers of one-parent families whose adult children live at home report more engagement with family members than those of two-parent families whose children live out-of-home.
Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 1998
To cite this article: Arie Rimmerman (1998) Factors relating to attitudes of Israeli corporate ex... more To cite this article: Arie Rimmerman (1998) Factors relating to attitudes of Israeli corporate executives toward the employability of persons with intellectual disability, Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 23:3, 245-254
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 2007
This Israeli national study examined a research model predicting parental behavioral involvement ... more This Israeli national study examined a research model predicting parental behavioral involvement with their adult children several years after their placement in institutional care. The sample studied consisted of 278 parents of children with intellectual disabilities in Israel between January 1993 and December 2001. Predictors of behavioral involvement were analyzed by a path analysis, followed by several differential regression analyses. Parental behavioral involvement with their adult children after placement is differential, and explained primarily by the children's gender and age at placement. Parental behavioral involvement with their daughters is predicted by cognitive and emotional involvement, whereas their behavioral involvement with their sons is related to background data. The child's age at the time of placement also plays a role in predicting parental involvement. Parental behavioral involvement with their children is related to gender and age at the time of placement in institutional care. Longitudinal research should be carried out to track the involvement process.
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 2001
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1993
The study tested the research construct that parental inclination to apply for out-of-home placem... more The study tested the research construct that parental inclination to apply for out-of-home placement for their young children with developmental disabilities (up to 5 years) was a function of their stress levels, sense of coherence, and social support received from formal and informal resources. Sixty-one parents (out of 80) of children diagnosed as developmentally disabled in the central western part of Israel participated in the study. The construct above was confirmed, as the sense of coherence and informal social support moderated the levels of stress and parental consideration of out-of-home placement for the young child. In brief, parents that favoured raising their developmentally disabled children at home had high levels of sense of coherence and a strong informal support system. Findings are interpreted with respect to practice and previous research.
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1989
This study examines the effect of five measures of utilization of respite care services (desire t... more This study examines the effect of five measures of utilization of respite care services (desire to use respite care services, actual use, accessibility, scheduling and helpfulness) upon mothers' coping resources. Using the analysis of variance between utilization measures and coping resources with the following intervening variables as covariates--mothers' self-esteem, family cohesion and adaptation, and clients' and mothers' characteristics--it was found that respite care acts as a differential service that can enhance coping resources (i.e., stress reduction skills) and is of most benefit to high self-esteem mothers of young developmentally disabled children. A home-based model was found to be the most beneficial to mothers in terms of enhanced coping resources. Findings are interpreted with respect to their implications for research, program model, planning and intervention.
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1990
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1996
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1995
Research in Developmental Disabilities, Oct 1, 2020
Background: In general, there is extensive research on parents of young children with ID, particu... more Background: In general, there is extensive research on parents of young children with ID, particularly studies on stress and coping, social support as associated with quality of life. Unfortunately, there is scarce evidence-based knowledge on parental coping resources and wellbeing during the transition of their offspring from childhood to adulthood and thereafter. Aims: This research responds to the scarce knowledge on the effect of the transition of children with ID into adulthood and particularly within adulthood on families. It examined the social, psychological, and financial differences among caregivers of offspring with ID in three age groups: (1) under the age of 21; (2) 21-30; (3) 31 and above. Methods and procedures: Three hundred and one caregivers completed an income and expenditure survey, including out-of-pocket expenditures, assets and liabilities index, services use survey, financial and other types of assistance from friends and family, a questionnaire regarding resources and stress levels, a social participation scale, and personal wellbeing index. Results: A statistically significant differences have been detected in the three caregivers' groups regarding the number of hours spent outside the house, social support, negative feelings such as frustration, sadness, and concern, life satisfaction and well-being. No significant differences have been identified in financial outcomes among caregivers' groups. Conclusions and implications: Findings are discussed in respect to research and practice and highlight caregivers' concerns regarding the transition of their offspring from adolescence to adulthood and afterward and in parallel to their own aging process.
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, May 6, 2021
BACKGROUND The study explores whether households' socio-economic status and social involvemen... more BACKGROUND The study explores whether households' socio-economic status and social involvement can moderate the association between stress and subjective well-being among parents of offspring with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). METHOD The random national sample comprised 301 parents caring for offspring with IDD. Measurements consist of a household income survey, a questionnaire on resources and stress, a social involvement questionnaire and a personal well-being index. Using PROCESS software, a regression-based path analysis has been used to test the moderating effect of social involvement and socio-economic status on the association between stress and subjective well-being. RESULTS Social involvement moderated the association between parental stress and subjective well-being. At high levels of parental stress only, parents with increased social involvement reported better subjective well-being. Significant interaction was observed between stress and socio-economic status. CONCLUSIONS Among parents raising offspring with IDD, social involvement may enhance the relationship between parental stress and subjective well-being. At lower stress levels, better socio-economic status is associated with increased subjective well-being.
This chapter examines Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with D... more This chapter examines Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). ‘Living independently and being included in the community’, is one of the most important rights in the CRPD, since choice, freedom, and inclusion are considered as prerequisites for exercising all other rights. To facilitate such autonomy and participation, it requires ratifying states to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to choose where and with whom they live; and that they have access to the range of services necessary to support community living and to prevent isolation or segregation. Living independently does not mean living alone; rather, it means exercising freedom of choice and control over decisions affecting one’s life with the same level of independence and interdependence within society on an equal basis with other.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Nov 1, 2017
The Internet has the power to enrich the lives of persons with and without disabilities, and incr... more The Internet has the power to enrich the lives of persons with and without disabilities, and increase independence and subjective well-being. Using path analysis, the study examines the role of Internet use, offline social participation, and connectedness in explaining life satisfaction among people with and without disabilities. Two mediating models have been examined: the first hypothesizes that social participation and connectedness are mediating variables between online use and life satisfaction; the second posits that the association between participation and connectedness to life satisfaction is mediated by Internet use. The secondary data utilized measures from the Kessler National Organization on Disability, 2000 and 2004-Harris survey on a national sample of 557 Israelis with disabilities and a parallel sample of 551 people without disabilities. Findings indicate that people with disabilities tend to participate less and have weaker level of connectedness, and consequently are less satisfied with their life, than persons without disabilities. No significant difference has been found between the two groups in social and other online activities. In terms of the mediating models, the first mediation model has been confirmed for people with disabilities-both connectedness and participation serve as mediators between online social activity and life satisfaction. Interestingly, among those without disabilities, only connectedness has been a mediator in the path between social and other online activities and life satisfaction. Findings are discussed is respect to future research and rehabilitation practice.
Family Policy and Disability, 2015
The British Journal of Social Work, 2021
Arab society in Israel is undergoing modernisation and secularisation. However, its approach to d... more Arab society in Israel is undergoing modernisation and secularisation. However, its approach to disability and mental illness is still dominated by religious and traditional stereotypes, as well as folk remedies and community practices. The present study examines differences in Muslim social workers and Imams’ recommendations in marriage/divorce and child custody cases of persons with intellectual disabilities (IDs) or mental illness. The study has two goals: (1) To examine differences in recommendations between Imams and Muslim social workers and (2) to explore variables related to their differential recommendations as observed in their responses to vignettes. Quantitative study using vignettes resembling existing Muslim religious (Sharia) court cases. Muslim social workers (138) and Imams (forty-eight) completed a background questionnaire, a religiosity questionnaire and a questionnaire that included twenty-five vignettes constructed by the researcher based on court rulings, adapt...
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, Dec 1, 2012
This research examines the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting supporti... more This research examines the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting supportive behaviors by parents and adult siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability. Participants were 67 parents and 63 siblings whose immediate relatives with intellectual disability resided in two institutional care facilities. Three aspects of supportive assistance behavior were evaluated: home visits, visits to the institution, and the relationship with the caregiving staff. Findings indicated that subjective norms held by siblings and parents predicted the frequency of home visits. Perceived behavioral control predicted the frequency of contact between siblings and staff. Thus, the applicability of the theory with respect to supportive behavior by the parents and siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability was partly substantiated by our findings. The findings are discussed with respect to the applicability of Theory of Planned Behavior.
Work-a Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation, Oct 20, 2020
BACKGROUND: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) assumes that pers... more BACKGROUND: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) assumes that persons with disabilities have similar rights, motivations to work and personal values as those without disabilities. OBJECTIVE: The article examines the corroboration between this assumption and real-life facts to better understand the importance of labor-oriented values in people with disabilities. METHODS: We tested the relationship between human values, employment and wages among Israelis with disabilities who cope with prejudice, negative attitudes and a lack of accessible workplaces in comparison to Israelis without disabilities. RESULTS: We found that the effect of labor-oriented values on employment status is 70% higher among people with disabilities than among those without disabilities. Furthermore, persons with disabilities ranked power and achievement as important values related to employment, but these values were not included in the considerations of persons without disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the importance of labor-oriented values for people with disabilities to overcome challenges in the labor market. Our findings suggest that rehabilitation policies would benefit from identifying personal human values of people with disabilities at an early stage of their career.
Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2020
This longitudinal population cohort study tracks the transition of 1,405 adolescents with autism ... more This longitudinal population cohort study tracks the transition of 1,405 adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) into adulthood, and highlights functional and social skills as core predictors of social outcomes (tertiary education, civic volunteering, and employment). Applying regression methods with sample selectivity to administrative data records obtained from Israel’s National Insurance Institute, we show that these outcomes are not highly correlated, suggesting that the high/low functioning dichotomy frequently used to categorize individuals with ASD is not supported by these data. We show that there is no causal relation between civic volunteering at an earlier stage and subsequent participation in tertiary education. This suggests that the traditional sequential model of developmental disability does not apply to ASD, and that the social-functional model of disability seems more applicable. We also show that functional and social severity vary inversely with year of...
International journal of developmental disabilities, Oct 8, 2016
This study explores whether aging mothers living in two-parent families whose offspring with inte... more This study explores whether aging mothers living in two-parent families whose offspring with intellectual disabilities do better in respect to their undesired daily life events, level of social support and well-being scores than mothers of one-parent families and whether there is difference related to their living arrangement (living with their offspring at home or out-of-home)? Sample consists of 160 Israeli aging mothers of adult children with intellectual disabilities living at home or out-of-home. Core findings show that one-parent mothers do worse in respect to undesired life events than those living in two-parent ones. However, mothers of one-parent families whose adult children live at home report more engagement with family members than those of two-parent families whose children live out-of-home.
Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 1998
To cite this article: Arie Rimmerman (1998) Factors relating to attitudes of Israeli corporate ex... more To cite this article: Arie Rimmerman (1998) Factors relating to attitudes of Israeli corporate executives toward the employability of persons with intellectual disability, Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 23:3, 245-254
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 2007
This Israeli national study examined a research model predicting parental behavioral involvement ... more This Israeli national study examined a research model predicting parental behavioral involvement with their adult children several years after their placement in institutional care. The sample studied consisted of 278 parents of children with intellectual disabilities in Israel between January 1993 and December 2001. Predictors of behavioral involvement were analyzed by a path analysis, followed by several differential regression analyses. Parental behavioral involvement with their adult children after placement is differential, and explained primarily by the children's gender and age at placement. Parental behavioral involvement with their daughters is predicted by cognitive and emotional involvement, whereas their behavioral involvement with their sons is related to background data. The child's age at the time of placement also plays a role in predicting parental involvement. Parental behavioral involvement with their children is related to gender and age at the time of placement in institutional care. Longitudinal research should be carried out to track the involvement process.
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 2001
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1993
The study tested the research construct that parental inclination to apply for out-of-home placem... more The study tested the research construct that parental inclination to apply for out-of-home placement for their young children with developmental disabilities (up to 5 years) was a function of their stress levels, sense of coherence, and social support received from formal and informal resources. Sixty-one parents (out of 80) of children diagnosed as developmentally disabled in the central western part of Israel participated in the study. The construct above was confirmed, as the sense of coherence and informal social support moderated the levels of stress and parental consideration of out-of-home placement for the young child. In brief, parents that favoured raising their developmentally disabled children at home had high levels of sense of coherence and a strong informal support system. Findings are interpreted with respect to practice and previous research.
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1989
This study examines the effect of five measures of utilization of respite care services (desire t... more This study examines the effect of five measures of utilization of respite care services (desire to use respite care services, actual use, accessibility, scheduling and helpfulness) upon mothers' coping resources. Using the analysis of variance between utilization measures and coping resources with the following intervening variables as covariates--mothers' self-esteem, family cohesion and adaptation, and clients' and mothers' characteristics--it was found that respite care acts as a differential service that can enhance coping resources (i.e., stress reduction skills) and is of most benefit to high self-esteem mothers of young developmentally disabled children. A home-based model was found to be the most beneficial to mothers in terms of enhanced coping resources. Findings are interpreted with respect to their implications for research, program model, planning and intervention.
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1990
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1996
International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1995