The Moderator Effect of Community Size on Suffering from Social Problems among Rural Youth in Egypt

Abstract

This study focuses on the level of suffering from social problems and tests the moderator role of community size in relation with suffering from social problems. Our study was conducted in Gharbia governorate, Egypt. Two contrasting villages were chosen as the highest and lowest on Human Development Index (HDI). A purposive sample of inhabitants in the age category 18-40 years was chosen. Sample persons were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. Measures of suffering from 13 common social problems were constructed. T-test and factor analysis were employed in data analysis. Results showed that community size had a clear moderator effect on suffering from eight social problems, but had trivial moderator effect on suffering from the other five social problems. The output of factor analysis yielded basically the same four factors; the order of those factors was different in the two villages. We recommend that rural development projects may have different priorities for rural communities of different size.[Abd-Ella, M., El-Lethee, H and Ebad-Allah, M. The Moderator Effect of Community Size on Suffering from Social Problems among Rural Youth in Egypt. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems, 2013; 3(1):19-25]