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Rees S, Mohsin M, Tay AK, et al. Associations between bride price obligations and women's anger, symptoms of mental distress, poverty, spouse and family conflict and preoccupations with injustice in conflict-affected Timor-Leste. BMJ Glob Health. 2016;1(1):e000025doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000025.
Rees, S., Mohsin, M., Tay, A. K., Thorpe, R., Murray, S., Savio, E., Fonseca, M., Tol, W., & Silove, D. (2016). Associations between bride price obligations and women's anger, symptoms of mental distress, poverty, spouse and family conflict and preoccupations with injustice in conflict-affected Timor-Leste. BMJ global health, 1(1), e000025. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000025
Rees, Susan, et al. "Associations between bride price obligations and women's anger, symptoms of mental distress, poverty, spouse and family conflict and preoccupations with injustice in conflict-affected Timor-Leste." BMJ global health vol. 1,1 (2016): e000025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000025
Rees S, Mohsin M, Tay AK, Thorpe R, Murray S, Savio E, Fonseca M, Tol W, Silove D. Associations between bride price obligations and women's anger, symptoms of mental distress, poverty, spouse and family conflict and preoccupations with injustice in conflict-affected Timor-Leste. BMJ Glob Health. 2016 May 26;1(1):e000025. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000025. eCollection 2016. PMID: 28588920; PMCID: PMC5321310.
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BMJ Glob Health. 2016 May 26;1(1):e000025. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000025. eCollection 2016.

Associations between bride price obligations and women's anger, symptoms of mental distress, poverty, spouse and family conflict and preoccupations with injustice in conflict-affected Timor-Leste.

BMJ global health

Susan Rees, Mohammed Mohsin, Alvin Kuowei Tay, Rosamund Thorpe, Samantha Murray, Elisa Savio, Mira Fonseca, Wietse Tol, Derrick Silove

Affiliations

  1. 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.
  2. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
  3. Alola Women's Foundation, Dili, Timor-Leste.
  4. Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

PMID: 28588920 PMCID: PMC5321310 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000025

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: 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.

DESIGN: A mixed-methods study comprising a total community household survey and semistructured qualitative interviews.

SETTING: Two villages, one urban, the other rural, in Timor-Leste.

PARTICIPANTS: 1193 married women participated in the household survey and a structured subsample of 77 women participated in qualitative interviews.

RESULTS: 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.

CONCLUSIONS: 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.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

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