Abstract
Hijab or veiling is commonly practiced by Muslim women but remains controversial in the broader secular society. SomeWestern feminists argue that veiling is an oppressive behavior that negatively affects women by, for example, engendering depression. This article tests this hypothesis with a national sample of American Muslim women (N = 194). The results of the regression analysis did not support the hypothesis. Indeed, women who veiled more frequently reported lower, rather than higher, levels of depressive symptoms. In other words, wearing the hijab appears to be a protective factor in the area of depression. Given the prevalence of depression among women, the results have important implications for practice with Muslim women at both the micro and the macro levels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 243-250 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Social Work (United States) |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1 2017 |
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Keywords
- depression
- hijab
- Islam
- Muslims
- veiling
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
Cite this
Hijab and Depression : Does the Islamic Practice of Veiling Predict Higher Levels of Depressive Symptoms? / Hodge, David; Husain, Altaf; Zidan, Tarek.
In: Social Work (United States), Vol. 62, No. 3, 01.07.2017, p. 243-250.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Hijab and Depression
T2 - Does the Islamic Practice of Veiling Predict Higher Levels of Depressive Symptoms?
AU - Hodge, David
AU - Husain, Altaf
AU - Zidan, Tarek
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - Hijab or veiling is commonly practiced by Muslim women but remains controversial in the broader secular society. SomeWestern feminists argue that veiling is an oppressive behavior that negatively affects women by, for example, engendering depression. This article tests this hypothesis with a national sample of American Muslim women (N = 194). The results of the regression analysis did not support the hypothesis. Indeed, women who veiled more frequently reported lower, rather than higher, levels of depressive symptoms. In other words, wearing the hijab appears to be a protective factor in the area of depression. Given the prevalence of depression among women, the results have important implications for practice with Muslim women at both the micro and the macro levels.
AB - Hijab or veiling is commonly practiced by Muslim women but remains controversial in the broader secular society. SomeWestern feminists argue that veiling is an oppressive behavior that negatively affects women by, for example, engendering depression. This article tests this hypothesis with a national sample of American Muslim women (N = 194). The results of the regression analysis did not support the hypothesis. Indeed, women who veiled more frequently reported lower, rather than higher, levels of depressive symptoms. In other words, wearing the hijab appears to be a protective factor in the area of depression. Given the prevalence of depression among women, the results have important implications for practice with Muslim women at both the micro and the macro levels.
KW - depression
KW - hijab
KW - Islam
KW - Muslims
KW - veiling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021807505&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85021807505&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/sw/swx027
DO - 10.1093/sw/swx027
M3 - Article
C2 - 28505358
AN - SCOPUS:85021807505
VL - 62
SP - 243
EP - 250
JO - Social Work (United States)
JF - Social Work (United States)
SN - 0037-8046
IS - 3
ER -