Psychological and Social Adjustment and its Relation to Self-esteem among Widowed Women in Jerusalem and its Environs

Abstract

The study aimed at identifying the level of psychological and social adjustment and self-esteem among widowed women in Jerusalem and its environs in the light of some variables: (duration of widowhood, number of children, age, place of living, income, educational level, and work) . The study tools were applied to a sample of 63 widows women, representing 5% of the original society. The results of the study showed that the overall degree of psychological and social adjustment among widowed women in Jerusalem and its environs was moderate, where the average of their response was 3.22, and the degree of self-esteem was also moderate, with an average of 3.10. The results of the study indicate that there are no significant differences in the averages of psychological and social adjustment and self-esteem among widowed women in Jerusalem and its suburbs according to the variables: duration of widowhood, number of children, age, place of living, income, and educational level. The differences attributable to the variable of work was significant in the averages of psychological and social adjustment in favor of unemployed widows, and not significant in their self-esteem. The results also showed a significant positive correlation between the degree of psychological and social adjustment and the degree of self-esteem among widows, as the coefficient of Pearson correlation between them was 0.480. In light of these results, the researcher recommended several recommendations. The most important are: working for psychosocial and social support, and improving self-esteem among widowed women in Palestinian society in general, with special attention to Jerusalem women.