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Her husband then decided to take a second wife. If he was good man and kind, I could have accepted this, but he was horrible and so I asked for a divorce, which I eventually secured after a long struggle," she said. Looking after two young children as a single mother proved difficult for Muqbel. Muqbel began looking for a man but soon realized that it was difficult to find the kind of person she had always fancied. She finally accepted the prospect of being a second wife. It pains me sometimes that his first wife knew nothing about our marriage.
Eman Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi woman who is aged 30 and a mother of two, said she is against her husband taking a second wife.
You may send this item to up to five recipients. An exploratorystudy from rural Cameroon. Methodology Discussion and Implications A proposed model for treatment of polygamous families Dealing with polygamous families and changing the rules. Psychosocial and familial functioning of children from polygynous and monogamous families. Disengaging from Terrorism — Lessons from the Turkish Penitents.
Some men claim that the second marriage will not affect their relationships with their first wives, but they change once they get married," she said. My father had three wives and I know the negative effects his multiple marriages had on our relationship with him. I would never accept polygamy unless my husband decides to divorce me to marry a second wife. Nihal Saleh, a Saudi woman who is married to a Jordanian, said she refuses to allow her husband to marry a second time, saying allowing him to do so would mean there is something wrong with her. Jealousy is not the only thing; there are many other feelings that make it difficult for me to accept such a marriage.
If my husband is looking for a second wife, then that means there's something wrong with me. This is something I can't get out of my mind. This is really painful. Omnia, a Saudi woman and mother of four who requested her surname not published, said her husband's second marriage has hurt her deeply. I always felt he would lose interest in me and my children. This is exactly what happened when he married a divorcee who already has a daughter from her first marriage," she said. My husband spends all his time with her.
He looks after her daughter more than he does ours.
On Eid and other special occasions, he spends more money on them than us," she said. He came a few times a month to give me money. Our marital relations came to a stop and I spoke to him about this several times. I mentioned the importance of maintaining relations, but he just ignored me," she said.
I'm in mental torment because of this. I also can't bring myself to divorce him, because of the way people will look at me. Marital satisfaction, SE and life satisfaction, indicating less subjective well-being for polygamous women. A recent Turkish study found out that the participants from polygamous families, especially senior wives, reported more psychological distress[ 19 ]. The economics of polygamy are particularly problematic. The level of Syrian economic development is very low.
Nevertheless, there are demographic imperatives that occasionally encourage the practice[ 28 ]. This seems predictable, as co-wives are likely to have very limited private time with the lone husband they share, and thus might vie for his attention and favor. Studies showed that in certain contexts, jealousy between co-wives can escalate to intolerable levels, resulting in physical injuries sustained by the women, and suicide attempts amongst the women.
Families living together in crammed and overcrowded conditions, can create an environment that aggravates stress and conflict between co-wives[ 34 ]. The practice has implications for entire familial structures, and for current and future families and communities. Indeed the present findings show that first wives in polygamous families experience more anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism compare to second and third wives. Moreover, first wives also reported on more family problems and less SE than second and third wives. Women in the Arab world are more likely to experience depression, anxiety disorders, and somatization[ 35 ].
Senior wives in polygamous marriages in the Bedouin-Arab society in the Negev, Israel suffered more than monogamous wives from low SE, loneliness, and other emotional problems[ 36 ]. A study conducted in rural Cameroon[ 37 ] revealed that junior wives are more satisfied with their marriage than senior wives.
Chaleby[ 38 ] points out that in the psychiatric service in Kuwait there are more senior than junior wives under psychiatric treatment. One major way that Arab women convey psychological distress is somatization. Previous research confirmed that senior wives in polygamous marriages may exhibit body aches, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, and nervousness[ 3 , 39 ]. When an Arab woman expresses somatic and psychological complaints, the practice of polygamy may be a causal factor.
Psychosocial Impact of Polygamy in the Middle East is the first to deal with polygamy in the Middle East in a comprehensive way. This book fills a gap in the . Psychosocial Impact of Polygamy in the Middle East is the first scholarly volume to deal with plural marriage in the region in a comprehensive way.
Likewise, somatization is evidence that there may be a variety of underlying psychological problems. The particular means through which somatization is conveyed vary across and within community and culture; the decoding process therefore is vital[ 3 ].
It is essential for practitioners to be able to recognize and interpret these symptoms, particularly in relation to the potential underlying possibility of polygamous family structure as an implicating factor. Gender constructions of women as self-sacrificing wives and mothers who do not complain may in turn exacerbate the likelihood of the sorts of symptomatology revealed in this study.
Women are frequently not consulted when a man opts to assume a junior wife; the powerlessness of that lack of choice and the possibility of fewer familial social and economic resources can cause distress[ 28 , 32 ]. In Egypt, Philips[ 40 ] found that while permission is required from the first wife, few women actually give the husbands their consent to marry a second wife.
In Kuwait, many men marry again without consulting or telling their wives, and roughly half of the participants from a recent survey did not agree to tell their wives about their re-marrying[ 41 ]. In Islam, it is important that the husband tell his first wife whenever he plans to marry again[ 42 ]. From the Islamic perspective there are several rules that must be followed by men who choose to practice polygamy.
If a man cannot treat each of his wives equally, then he should only take one wife. This may be the result of men acting without reference to the teachings of Islam - and in particular, the imperative to treat all wives equally, and to assume a second wife only if economically feasible[ 43 ].
The present research points out some concerns in relation to the degree of agreement with the practice of polygamy. The majority from both groups of women does not agree with polygamy. Only a small percent agree with the practice of polygamy under some circumstances, or agree. One important difference was that about 4. Those women who practice it may seek to legitimate polygamy as a way of coping with the associated problems in their lives. Moreover, the notion of self-sacrifice has a cultural and political dynamic in the Arab culture, and the need to maintain a relationship for the sake of the children is a significant motivator for many women.
In conclusion, practitioners and policy makers need to be aware of the psychological, familial and economic effects of polygamy on women and their children. It should be noted that this manuscript serves as a voice for women in polygamous marriages and raises the question of mental health of people where polygamy is practiced. Further research is required to compare women in polygamous marriages based on their order first, second and third, etc.
One of the limitations of this study is the small sample in particular when comparing first, second and third wives in polygamous marriages. According to the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook, of the societies that were studied, had occasional polygamy, had more frequent polygyny. Studies conducted in different countries have shown that polygamy can lead to co-wife jealousy, competition, and unequal distribution of household and emotional resources, and generate acrimony between co-wives and between the children of the different wives.
Another finding is that women in polygamous marriages report low self-esteem SE and less life satisfaction than women in monogamous marriages. The present study is the first to examine the psychological, SE, family function, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction and degree of agreement with the practice of polygamy among polygamous women with a control group from monogamous women in Syria. Practitioners and policy makers need to be aware of the psychological, familial and economic effects of polygamy on women and their children.
This is a very well written paper that explores the impact of polygamy on several mental health parameters. The introduction section is clear and the methodology is adequately described. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List World J Psychiatry v. Published online Mar Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Al-Krenawi A solely contributed to this paper. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Research instruments Socio-demographic variables: Open in a separate window. Family assessment device; SWLS: Satisfaction with life scale; SCL Table 3 Family structure and socio-demographic variables as predictors of the study's dependent measures: Table 4 First wives to second and third wives differences in family function, well being and mental health symptoms. Research frontiers Studies conducted in different countries have shown that polygamy can lead to co-wife jealousy, competition, and unequal distribution of household and emotional resources, and generate acrimony between co-wives and between the children of the different wives.
Innovations and breakthroughs The present study is the first to examine the psychological, SE, family function, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction and degree of agreement with the practice of polygamy among polygamous women with a control group from monogamous women in Syria. Applications Practitioners and policy makers need to be aware of the psychological, familial and economic effects of polygamy on women and their children.
Peer review This is a very well written paper that explores the impact of polygamy on several mental health parameters. Atlas of world cultures. University of Pittsburgh Press; Denaturalizing polygyny in Bangkok, Thailand. A comparison of family functioning, life and marital satisfaction, and mental health of women in polygamous and monogamous marriages.
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