Relationship between Family and Mental Health - Essay Example

Compared to the conventional nuclear family system which has both parents, those from stepfamilies or single-parent families are faced with a higher degree of mental health risk. Because there is much stigma related to mental health problems in the Muslim community, there is not much to say about mental health family associations in Jordan. This is because the number of mental health professionals is very low and public education and awareness regarding the subject are also poor. This is why no mental health family associations have been documented in Jordan. However, research claims that due to the practice of polygamy among Muslim men in the country, the rate of marital satisfaction and self-esteem is low among women. It is due to such a family structure in which a man is married to more than one woman at a time that the risk of developing mental health problems like depression and stress is high among women. Findings of research reveal that there is lower self-esteem among women in polygamous marriages. There is also “more mental health symptomatology than women in monogamous marriages” (Al-Krenawi). Usually, first wives complain of more family problems and anxiety than second and third wives.