Mental health and polygamy: The Syrian case

doi:10.5498/wjp.v3.i1.1

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Mar 22, 2013 (publication date) through Oct 25, 2025

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World Journal of Psychiatry

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2220-3206

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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World J Psychiatr. Mar 22, 2013; 3(1): 1-7
Published online Mar 22, 2013. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v3.i1.1

Table 1 Socio demographic characteristics of the sample (mean ± SD)

	Polygamous (n = 64)	Monogamous (n = 72)	Statistical t test value
Age (yr)	41.67 ± 9.22	29.81 ± 8.02	8.03^b
Age of marriage	20.92 ± 4.30	18.18 ± 2.22	4.75^b
Husband’s age	48.98 ± 11.18	25.19 ± 7.14	8.67
Husband’s age of marriage	29.34 ± 7.78	24.39 ± 3.80	4.80^b
Education	10.02 ± 4.21	9.24 ± 3.08	1.22
Husband’s education	10.52 ± 4.90	8.53 ± 4.71	2.39^a
No. of children	6.61 ± 2.67	4.68 ± 2.02	4.77^b
Satisfaction with economic state			χ² = 9.09^a
Highly satisfied or satisfied	39.10%	54.20%
Moderately satisfied	46.90%	4.40%
Unsatisfied or highly unsatisfied	14.00%	1.40%
Kind of blood relations with husband			χ² = 10.60^a
None	31.30%	50.00%
Father’s side	23.40%	27.80%
Mother’s side	10.90%	4.20%
Both sides	18.80%	11.10%
Distant	15.60%	6.90%
Wife’s order
First	62.50%
Second	34.30%
Third	3.20%
Agreement with polygamous marriages			χ² = 6.10
Don’t agree	76.60%	87.50%
Agree under certain circumstances	18.80%	12.50%
Agree	4.60%	0.00%

^aP < 0.05,

^bP < 0.01 between monogamous and polygamous.

Full Size Table

Table 2 Familial structure differences in family function, well being and mental health symptoms (mean ± SD)

	Polygamous(n = 64)	Monogamous(n = 72)	t value
Family functioning (FAD)	2.34 ± 0.38	2.33 ± 0.42	0.12
Marital relationship (Enrich)	2.92 ± 0.60	3.39 ± 0.57	3.91^b
Self esteem	2.61 ± 0.41	2.98 ± 0.38	5.45^b
Life satisfaction (SWLS)	3.72 ± 1.18	4.65 ± 0.89	5.03^b
Mental health (SCL-90)
Somatization	2.06 ± 0.39	1.64 ± 0.67	4.47^b
Obsessive-compulsive	2.10 ± 0.38	1.84 ± 0.71	2.71^b
Interpersonal sensitivity	2.18 ± 3.78	1.92 ± 0.74	2.59^a
Depression	2.11 ± 0.34	1.78 ± 0.66	3.68^b
Anxiety	1.91 ± 0.26	1.81 ± 0.72	1.07
Hostility	2.22 ± 0.49	1.84 ± 0.74	3.56^b
Phobic anxiety	2.09 ± 0.41	1.71 ± 0.79	3.58^b
Paranoid ideation	2.17 ± 0.36	1.83 ± 0.67	3.75^b
Psychoticism	2.08 ± 0.35	1.71 ± 0.75	3.72^b
Additional items	2.17 ± 0.41	1.95 ± 0.66	2.29^a
GSI	2.10 ± 0.46	1.79 ± 0.62	3.81^b

^aP < 0.05,

^bP < 0.01 between monogamous and polygamous. FAD: Family assessment device; SWLS: Satisfaction with life scale; SCL-90: Symptom checklist-90; GSI: Global severity index.

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Table 3 Family structure and socio-demographic variables as predictors of the study's dependent measures: Standardized regression effect and R-square

	Family structure	Age	Education	Economic state	R square
Family functioning (FAD)	0.03	-0.04	0.02	-0.25^b	0.058
Marital relationship (Enrich)	0.20^a	0.23^b	0.01	-0.06	0.160^b
Self esteem	0.38^b	0.05	0.02	-0.04	0.183^b
life satisfaction (SWLS)	0.35^b	0.09	0.06	0.06	0.158^b
Mental health (SCL-90)
Somatization	-0.48^b	0.11	-0.16	-0.32^b	0.255^b
Obsessive-compulsive	-0.33^b	0.10	-0.06	-0.17	0.095^a
Interpersonal sensitivity	-0.32^b	0.08	-0.11	-0.18^a	0.103^b
Depression	-0.42^b	0.08	-0.03	-0.26^b	0.158^b
Anxiety	-0.25^b	0.23^a	-0.18	-0.19^a	0.141^b
Hostility	-0.36^b	-0.02	-0.08	-0.27^b	0.155^b
Phobic anxiety	-0.40^b	0.12	-0.20^a	-0.23^b	0.192^b
Paranoid ideation	-0.39^b	0.07	-0.25^b	-0.22^b	0.210^b
Psychoticism	-0.39^b	0.08	-0.19^a	-0.19^a	0.175^b
Additional items	-0.31^b	0.15	-0.11	-0.18^a	0.103^b
GSI	-0.44^b	0.12	-0.15	-0.26^b	0.200^b

^aP < 0.05,

^bP < 0.01 between 0-polygamy, 1-monogamy. FAD: Family assessment device; SWLS: Satisfaction with life scale; SCL-90: Symptom checklist-90; GSI: Global severity index.

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Table 4 First wives to second and third wives differences in family function, well being and mental health symptoms

	First wives(n = 40)	Second and third wives(n = 24)	t value
Family functioning (FAD)	2.48 ± 0.41	2.27 ± 0.36	2.17^a
Marital relationship (Enrich)	3.34 ± 0.61	3.49 ± 0.53	0.82
Self esteem	2.87 ± 0.50	3.07 ± 0.27	2.01^a
Life satisfaction (SWLS)	4.61 ± 0.98	4.74 ± 0.74	0.56
Mental health (SCL-90)
Somatization	1.68 ± 0.65	1.64 ± 0.69	0.24
Obsessive-compulsive	1.98 ± 0.57	1.78 ± 0.77	1.12
Interpersonal sensitivity	2.09 ± 0.61	1.82 ± 0.80	1.40
Depression	1.94 ± 0.55	1.70 ± 0.70	1.45
Anxiety	2.00 ± 0.60	1.70 ± 0.77	2.00^a
Hostility	1.94 ± 0.72	1.80 ± 0.77	0.72
Phobic anxiety	1.87 ± 0.73	1.65 ± 0.84	1.11
Paranoid ideation	2.03 ± 0.62	1.71 ± 0.68	2.19^a
Psychoticism	1.92 ± 0.68	1.59 ± 0.78	2.18^a
Additional items	2.05 ± 0.60	1.92 ± 0.70	0.79
GSI	1.94 ± 0.51	1.72 ± 0.67	1.38

^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01 between first wives, second and third wives. FAD: Family assessment device; SWLS: Satisfaction with life scale; SCL-90: Symptom checklist-90; GSI: Global severity index.

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Citation: Al-Krenawi A. Mental health and polygamy: The Syrian case. World J Psychiatr 2013; 3(1): 1-7
URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/2220-3206/full/v3/i1/1.htm
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v3.i1.1