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Postpartum Depression Symptoms in Various Sects of Ultra-Orthodox Society in Israel

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Abstract

Ultra-Orthodox society in Israel is characterized by a higher birth rate than Israeli Jewish society. This study investigated the association of reproductive experiences among different sects of 254 ultra-Orthodox women with symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) and general depression, controlling for demographic features. PPD symptoms were found among 22% of the participants, with Sephardic women with higher rates of symptoms (34%) than women from the Lithuanian sect (16%) and Hasidic women (14%), and those who were formerly secular also had higher rates of PPD (33%) compared to 19% among those born ultra-Orthodox. Implications for health care practitioners are discussed.

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The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Faculty of Social Work, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel

    Shimrit Prins-Engelsman

  2. The Spitzer Department of Social Work and the Center for Women’s Health Studies and Promotion, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, POB 679, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel

    Julie Cwikel

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  1. Shimrit Prins-Engelsman
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Correspondence to Shimrit Prins-Engelsman.

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Ethical standards

This study was performed in line with the principles by the Ethics Committee of Ben-Gurion University with the permission issued on 15.8.2014. The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication.

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An earlier version of this paper was published in Hebrew in the limited circulation journal "Society and Welfare" (Prins-Engelsman, S. and Cwikel, J. (2021). Pregnancy and childbirth experiences and their relationship to postpartum depression among different subgroups of ultra-Orthodox women in Israel, Society and Welfare, 41 (2), 277–294. (Hebrew). We received permission to translate the article on 12.10.2021 and have attached the permission file.

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Prins-Engelsman, S., Cwikel, J. Postpartum Depression Symptoms in Various Sects of Ultra-Orthodox Society in Israel. J Relig Health 62, 3327–3346 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01745-3

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