Perceived stress among single Palestinian women in Israel: a mixed method research

Single women face various stressors throughout their lives. The study examines the experience of single Palestinian women in Israel and assesses how socio-demographic factors (age, level of education, economic status), cognitive factors (sense of coherence) and environmental factors (perceived social and family support) help to explain the level of stress in this group of women. A mixed methods design was employed: The qualitative component included eighteen semi-structured interviews, while the quantitative sample involved 183 participants who responded to four scale questions and five open questions. Two key findings are presented: First, a thematic analysis illustrates how complicated life is for Palestinian single women in Israel, whose experience is characterized by social exclusion and stressful situations. Second, the study finds significant connections between the women's perceived stress and their sense of coherence, family support and age. The findings underline the need to empower unmarried Arab women, as well as the need for various forms of community intervention. We recommend conducting longitudinal research with unmarried women and to include family members (parents and siblings) in the sample in order to assess the experience of singlehood from the perspective of these significant others.