Polygamy and mental health of adolescents |
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Authors: | Sami Hamdan Judy Auerbach Alan Apter |
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Institution: | (1) Schneider’s Children Medical Center in Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel;(2) Ben-Gurion University, Beersheba, Israel |
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Abstract: | The objective is to study the influence of polygamous versus monogamous marriage on the mental health of adolescents in an
Israeli Bedouin population. Pupils aged 11–18 years attending schools in Bedouin Arab communities in southern Israel were
asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and a panel of psychological instruments measuring competence and behavioral
problems, anxiety and depression. Findings were compared between pupils of families with one wife and pupils of families with
more than one wife. The population comprised 406 pupils of mean age 14.5 years; 56% were female. Fifty-three percent were
from polygamous marriages and 47% from monogamous marriages. After allowing for the influence of socioeconomic factors, there
were no differences between offspring of polygamous marriages and those of monogamous marriages for any of the psychological
scales. When polygamy is the accepted practice in a particular social milieu, it does not have a deleterious psychological
effect on adolescents. |
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Keywords: | |
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