"Abandoned" parents. Loss of traditional family support systems. A challenge for health professionals.

Maternal incompetence in childrearing is described in three widely different cultural settings in the southern Negev area of Israel. It is suggested that this incompetence stems from "abandonment" of the parents by traditional family support systems and is reinforced by the inability or lack of readiness of the health system to supply the missing support mechanisms. This picture of parental "abandonment" in widely different cultural settings in Israel may represent an end result of cultural and social upheaval common to other communities in the world. Techniques for prevention include improving awareness of health workers to this problem, teaching appropriate strategies for improving parental confidence and competence, and ensuring that maternal and infant care focuses appropriately on issues of infant behavior and parental concerns.