Polygynous marriage is prevalent among Israel's Bedouin-Arab community, despite being explicitly banned by state law. Cultural traditions and customs permit men to take multiple wives, and Islamic teachings do not prohibit the practice. The impact of polygyny is significant, affecting women, children, and society as a whole in various ways. We examined the connections that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance had with hypothetical responses to the potential threat of polygynous marriages in a community sample of young unmarried Israeli Bedouin-Arab women (n = 306). Participants were randomly assigned to imagine either a high-threat scenario (i.e., finding that their husband decided to take a second wife; n = 151) or a low-threat scenario (i.e., their husband would not decide to take a second wife; n = 155) and report their anticipated responses to these scenarios. Results showed that attachment anxiety was positively associated with anticipated negative emotional responses in the high-threat condition but not in the low-threat condition. However, neither attachment anxiety nor attachment avoidance were associated with the perceived threat of polygyny to their marriage. The findings of this study suggest that attachment styles play a significant role in shaping women's perceptions and reactions to hypothetical polygynous marriages. Women with anxious attachment styles are more likely to experience intensified negative emotions regarding such marriages, while those with avoidant attachment styles may display greater tolerance toward polygyny. These results highlight the need for tailored interventions and support systems that take into account individual psychological profiles as well as the broader cultural context of Israeli Bedouin-Arab society.

Over the last two decades, there has been significant growth in public, political, and academic awareness of polygamy. Polygamous families have distinct household problems, usually stemming from jealousy between co-wives over the husband's affections and resources. This study aimed to ascertain the psychological impact of polygamous marriage on women and children worldwide.

A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Google Scholar, and ProQuest using search terms such as "marriage" and "polygamy." Studies published from the inception of the respective databases until April 2021 were retrieved to assess their eligibility for inclusion in this study. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used for data extraction and the quality assessment of the included studies. The generic inverse variance and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using RevMan software.

There were 24 studies fulfilling the eligibility criteria, and 23 studies had a low risk of bias. The pooled meta-analysis showed women in polygamous marriages had a 2.25 (95% CI: 1.20, 4.20) higher chance of experiencing depression than in monogamous marriages. Children with polygamous parents had a significantly higher Global Severity Index with a mean difference of 0.21 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.33) than those with monogamous parents.

The psychological impact of polygamous marriage on women and children was found to be relatively higher than monogamous marriage. Awareness of the proper practices for polygamy should be strengthened so that its adverse effects can be minimized. The agencies involved in polygamous practices should broaden and enhance their understanding of the correct practice of polygamy.

Female honor killing is a particular form of femicide, where the killing of a woman is perpetrated by a member or members of her family who do not approve of her social behavior in general and her sexual behavior in particular. The study of female honor killing tends to focus on a cultural examination of honor cultures yet lacks exploration of possible social factors that may influence such gendered killing. Possible links between female honor killing incidence and various social factors, among them poverty, low social status, and rapid modernization, were recently postulated, however empirical validation of these hypotheses has yet to be thoroughly explored. This article offers empirical observations of an explorative nature of social factors that may play a role in the frequency of female honor killing. The research's methodological design distinguishes between the various Arab subgroups in Israel along their correlated ingrained social characteristics and offers a comparative empirical analysis obtained from nation-based data on female honor killings among the various Arab subgroups (excluding the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem) during a 6-year period (2010-2015). The research is based on a secondary analysis of data extrapolated from media surveillance. A total of 58 eligible cases were found and comprised the research sample. Frequency analysis of femicide events and victims was performed for each Arab subgroup. Despite the small number of cases and the research's explorative and tentative nature, it provides preliminary empirical indications of possible links between female honor killing frequency and social factors such as low economic status and rapid modernization. The article's novel empirical indications may be of great relevance to societies currently facing the challenge of assimilating a growing number of Arab and Muslim social groups.

While some studies suggest different mental health outcomes among women in polygamous versus monogamous marriages, no published systematic review or meta-analysis has analyzed the relevant research literature. This article aims to review the evidence of marriage types (i.e., polygamous and monogamous marriages) and differences in the prevalence of mental health issues. Eleven electronic databases, along with further identified references lists, were searched. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. They included 3166 participants, and 986 women were in a polygamous marriage. All studies were rated for quality and were tested for publication bias. Meta-analyses were conducted on the five symptoms to assess for the effect of marriage type. The studies indicate a significant association of marriage type with psychological symptoms. The meta-analysis indicates that women in polygamous marriage had worsened mental health as compared with women in monogamous marriages. The weighted mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were somatization 0.53, 0.44-0.63; obsession-compulsion 0.35, 0.14-0.56; interpersonal sensitivity 0.42, 0.12-0.73; depression 0.41, 0.15-0.67; anxiety 0.41, 0.15-0.68; hostility = 0.47, 0.28-0.66; phobic anxiety 0.39, 0.17-0.61; paranoid ideation 0.35, 0.24-0.47; psychoticism 0.41, 0.23, 0.59; and Global Severity Index (GSI) 0.43, 0.25-0.60. A higher self-esteem and life satisfaction among women in polygamous marriages and statistically superior family functioning among women in monogamous marriages were also found. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the marital satisfaction of women in polygamous versus monogamous marriages. Results are consistent with the existing research on the prevalence of mental health issues among women in polygamous marriages. Nonetheless, these women were found to have elevated self-esteem and life satisfaction than women in monogamous marriages. Directions for future research are indicated.

Polygamy is a complex phenomenon and a product of power relations, with deep cultural, social, economic, and political roots. Despite being banned in many countries, the practice persists and has been associated with women's marginalization and mental health sequelae. In this study, we sought to improve understanding of this ongoing, complex phenomenon by examining the contribution of socioeconomic position (SEP) and social support to the excess of depressive symptoms (DS) and poor self-rated health (SRH) among women in polygamous marriages compared to women in monogamous marriages. Measuring the contribution of these factors could facilitate policies and interventions aimed at protecting women's mental health.

The study was conducted among a sample of Arab Bedouin women living in a marginalized community in southern Israel (N=464, age 18-50). The women were personally interviewed in 2008-2009. We then used logistic regression models to calculate the contribution of SEP (as defined by the women's education, family SEP, and household characteristics) and social support to excess of depressive symptoms and poor SRH among participants in polygamous versus monogamous marriages.

About 23% of the participants were in polygamous marriages. These women reported almost twice the odds of depressive symptoms (OR=1.91, 95%CI=1.22, 2.99) and poorer SRH (OR=1.73, 95%CI=1.10, 2.72) than those in monogamous marriages. Women's education changed these associations slightly, but family SEP and household characteristics resulted in virtually no further change. Social support reduced the odds for poor SRH and DS by about 23% and 28%, respectively.

Polygamy is associated with higher risk for poor mental health of women regardless of their SEP and education. Social support seems to have some protective effect.

Aims. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify and appraise the present state of prevalence research on the mental health of polygynous women, or plural wives, and to summarize its implications for future research and social work practice. Methods. PsycInfo (1967 to November 2011) and Medline (1985 to November 2011) databases, systematic bibliography hand-searches, personal communication with a leading expert, and gray literature searching were applied in a systematic literature search of the prevalence of mental-health issues in polygynous women compared to monogamous women. Twenty-two studies meeting eligibility criteria were identified. Study characteristics, methods and findings were systematically extracted and appraised for quality. Results. The identified studies are of mixed methodological quality, but generally suggest a more significant prevalence of mental-health issues in polygynous women compared to monogamous women. Individual studies report a higher prevalence of somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, psychoticism and psychiatric disorder in polygynous wives as well as reduced life and marital satisfaction, problematic family functioning and low self-esteem. Conclusions. The current state of the research reveals with moderate confidence, a more significant prevalence of mental-health issues in polygynous women as compared to monogamous women. Implications for practice and research are indicated.

Polygamy is defined as a marriage in which a spouse of either gender has more than one mate at the same time. Polygamy is considered a valid form of marriage in many countries and communities around the globe.

The purpose of this study is to examine the psychological symptoms, family function, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction and the degree of agreement with the practice of polygamy among 'senior wives' - the first wife in the polygamous marriage - and women in monogamous marriages in the West Bank, Palestine.

A convenience sample of 309 women, 187 from polygamous and 122 from monogamous families, participated in this study. All women from polygamous families were senior wives. The following instruments were deployed: the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), the ENRICH marital satisfaction questionnaire, the SCL-90 mental health symptoms checklist, the Rosenberg self-esteem (SE) scale, the Diener et al. (1985), a life satisfaction scale, and a basic socio-demographic scale, including the degree of agreement of the practice of polygamy.

The findings revealed significant differences between senior wives in polygamous marriages and wives in monogamous marriages with regard to family functioning, marital satisfaction, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Likewise, many of the mental health symptoms were different. Particularly noteworthy were somatization, depression, hostility psychotism and the General Severity Index (a global index of distress). More women in polygamous marriages agreed with the practice of polygamy than their monogamous counterparts.

Practitioners and policy makers need to be aware of the consequences of polygamy on first wives and on society as whole.

This study surveyed a 2009 convenience sampling of 199 women, 93 of whom were first (or senior) wives in polygamous marriages and 106 were wives in monogamous marriages. We deployed the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), ENRICH marital satisfaction questionnaire, SCL-90 mental health symptoms checklist, Rosenberg self-esteem (SE) scale, and Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin life satisfaction scale, a basic sociodemographic scale, including attitudes towards polygamy. Women from polygamous families experienced more problems in family functioning, marital relations, and reported low self-esteem, less satisfaction with life, and more somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, paranoid ideation, psychoticism and their general severity index was higher (GSI). More women in polygamous marriages agreed with the practice of polygamy, as compared to their monogamous counterparts. The conclusion considers implications for mental health practice, policy, and further research.

A good portion of geography is contested by the Israeli state and the country's Bedouin-Arab population. There are two categories of Bedouin villages: those areas that are "officially" recognized by the state and those that are not. In this article we determine utilization and awareness of health and mental health services among 376 Bedouin-Arab women in recognized and unrecognized villages in the Negev. Although there are differences between them, primary health care (PHC) services usually are available within recognized villages, accessible to those from unrecognized villages, and tend to precipitate user satisfaction. We conclude with various suggestions for improving health service delivery and making PHC and mental health delivery more accessible. Through this article we intend to help mental health practitioners on two levels: the policy level, regarding the design of mental health services for societies in transition, such as the Bedouin Arab, and the practical level by helping practitioners better appreciate the psychosocial status of women in Bedouin-Arab societies and the factors associated with Bedouin-Arab PHC utilization.

A considerable body of research concludes that the polygamous family structure has an impact on children's and wives' psychological, social and family functioning.

The present study is among the first to consider within the same ethno-racial community such essential factors as family functioning, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction and mental health functioning among women who are in polygamous marriages and women who are in monogamous marriages.

A sample of 352 Bedouin-Arab women participated in this study: 235 (67%) were in a monogamous marriage and 117 (33%) were in a polygamous marriage.

Findings reveal differences between women in polygamous and monogamous marriages. Women in polygamous marriages showed significantly higher psychological distress, and higher levels of somatisation, phobia and other psychological problems. They also had significantly more problems in family functioning, marital relationships and life satisfaction.

The article calls on public policy and social service personnel to increase public awareness of the significance of polygamous family structures for women's wellbeing.