Rees Susan, Mohsin Mohammed, Tay Alvin Kuowei, Thorpe Rosamund, Murray Samantha, Savio Elisa, Fonseca Mira, Tol Wietse, Silove Derrick
Psychiatry Research and Teaching Unit, University of New South Wales and Academic Mental Health Unit, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
BMJ Glob Health. 2016 May 26;1(1):e000025. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000025. eCollection 2016.
Bride price is a widespread custom in many parts of the world, including in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. We hypothesised that problems relating to the obligatory ongoing remittances made by the husband and his family to the bride's family may be a source of mental disturbance (in the form of explosive anger and severe mental distress) among women. In addition, we postulated that problems arising with bride price would be associated with conflict with the spouse and family, poverty and women's preoccupations with injustice.
A mixed-methods study comprising a total community household survey and semistructured qualitative interviews.
Two villages, one urban, the other rural, in Timor-Leste.
1193 married women participated in the household survey and a structured subsample of 77 women participated in qualitative interviews.
Problems with bride price showed a consistent dose-effect relationship with sudden episodes of explosive anger, excessive anger and severe psychological distress. Women with the most severe problems with bride price had twice the poverty scores as those with no problems with the custom. Women with the most severe problems with bride price also reported a threefold increase in conflict with their spouse and a fivefold increase in conflict with family. They also reported heightened preoccupations with injustice.
Our study is the first to show consistent associations between problems with bride price obligations and mental distress, poverty, conflict with spouse and family and preoccupations with injustice among women in a low-income, postconflict country.
彩礼是世界许多地区普遍存在的习俗，包括撒哈拉以南非洲的大多数国家和亚洲部分地区。我们假设，丈夫及其家人向新娘家庭进行强制性持续汇款所产生的问题，可能是女性精神困扰（表现为爆发性愤怒和严重精神痛苦）的一个来源。此外，我们推测彩礼引发的问题会与配偶及家庭冲突、贫困以及女性对不公正的担忧相关。
一项混合方法研究，包括全面的社区家庭调查和半结构化定性访谈。
东帝汶的两个村庄，一个在城市，另一个在农村。
1193名已婚女性参与了家庭调查，77名女性的结构化子样本参与了定性访谈。
彩礼问题与爆发性愤怒、过度愤怒和严重心理困扰的突发情况呈现出一致的剂量效应关系。彩礼问题最严重的女性的贫困得分是那些没有彩礼问题女性的两倍。彩礼问题最严重的女性还报告称，与配偶的冲突增加了两倍，与家人的冲突增加了五倍。她们还表示对不公正的担忧加剧。
我们的研究首次表明，在一个低收入、冲突后国家，彩礼义务问题与女性的精神困扰、贫困、与配偶及家庭的冲突以及对不公正的担忧之间存在一致的关联。
