Satisfaction and Stressors in a Religious Minority: A National Study of Orthodox Jewish Marriage

Abstract

The paucity of mental health studies with Orthodox Jews makes culturally competent counseling care unlikely. In this large‐scale investigation of marriage among Orthodox Jews, most respondents reported satisfaction with marriage and spouse, although satisfaction was highest among recently married couples. The most significant stressors were finances, communication, physical intimacy/sexuality, time pressures, and in‐law conflicts. Counseling interventions are discussed. La escasez de estudios sobre salud mental en poblaciones de judíos ortodoxos limita la posibilidad de ofrecer un cuidado de consejería culturalmente competente. En esta investigación a gran escala sobre el matrimonio entre judíos ortodoxos, la mayoría de los participantes indicaron satisfacción con su matrimonio y esposo/a, aunque la satisfacción fue mayor entre las parejas recién casadas. Los elementos estresantes más significativos fueron las finanzas, la comunicación, el contacto íntimo/sexualidad, la falta de tiempo, y los conflictos con la familia política. Se discuten intervenciones para la consejería.

Depression Stigma and Treatment Preferences Among Orthodox and Non-Orthodox Jews

“…Until recently, awareness of the unique cultural needs and barriers affecting Orthodox Jewish mental health care has been minimal (see Schnall, 2006;Schnall et al, 2013). This may be because of evidence suggesting that depression and its treatment are culturally normative among the Jewish American population (Kohn et al, 1999;Loewenthal et al, 2002) and consistent with often cited willingness among Jews to seek treatment for psychiatric disorders (Kohn et al, 1999;Midlarsky et al, 2012).…”

Religious Premarital Education and Marital Quality Within the Orthodox Jewish Community

“…Most results were highly significant and confirmed by a bootstrapping method, and were unlikely to be due to a small number of dependent pairs in the sample. Internet use may have also limited the generalizability of the findings to Orthodox Jews who use the Internet since the most traditional members of Orthodox Jewry avoid use of the Internet to shield themselves from secular influences (Schnall et al, 2013). Future studies exploring premarital education within the Orthodox Jewish community should therefore use traditional data collection methods in order to include a more diverse subject pool.…”

“…Social contacts between males and females are highly structured beginning at school-age, and casual contact between members of the opposite gender is discouraged (Sublette & Trappler, 2000). Cohabitation and premarital sex are firmly proscribed (Schnall et al, 2013). Beginning in their late teens and early twenties, individuals engage in dating like-minded Orthodox Jews with the specific goal of finding a life partner Downloaded by [North West University] at 01:10 04 February 2015 (Milevsky, Niman, Raab, & Gross, 2011).…”

“…It is estimated that currently there are 6.5 million Jews in the United States, equaling 2.1% of the general population, and that 44% of Jews live in the Northeast (Sheskin & Dashefsky, 2011). While Orthodox Jews represent approximately 0.5 million of the total American Jewish population, the proportion of Orthodox Jews is growing, with adults representing 10% and children representing 23% of the total Jewish American population (Schnall, Pelcovitz, & Fox, 2013).…”

Counseling Jewish Americans: Considerations for Practice

“…For instance, although religious discussion may or may not be a topic of conversation in the counseling session for non‐Orthodox or secular Jews, it likely would be a part of counseling Orthodox clients. Orthodox Jews may be “distinguished by their strict observance of the totality of Jewish law, applying biblical precepts based on traditional rabbinic interpretation to all areas of life” (Schnall, Pelcovitz, & Fox, , p. 5), including “family life, business dealings, and the many rituals of prayer and service” (Schnall, , p. 277). Therefore, assessing how clients' spiritual or religious perspective relates to their presenting concern is an important goal of the counselor (Competency 10; ASERVIC, ).…”