The findings from Study 1 demonstrate that the two groups (monogamous and polygamous) did not differ significantly on most of the assessed variables, although there were differences obtained between groups on some of the measures. Specifically, no differences were found between adolescents coming from polygamous or monogamous families in terms of anxiety, depression, hostility or Global Severity Index (GSI), although children coming from homes where the father was married to three or four wives appeared to display more psychopathological symptoms than monogamous families. Adolescents from monogamous families reported more family cohesion than their peers from polygamous families. Findings from Study 2 demonstrate that the two groups did not differ significantly on teacher-perceived student mental health problems and on a measure of anxiety. The findings from Study 2 seem to support the findings from Study 1. Monogamous and polygamous families in the Bedouin Arab community were far more similar than they were different. The primary goal of these two reported studies was to compare the adolescents from monogamous and polygamous households on a number of mental health variables to determine if the adolescents coming from monogamous families differed significantly from their cohorts coming from polygamous families. Data were collected from Bedouin Arab adolescents living in the southern region of Israel. Also, the levels of violence to which the participants were subjected in the home, school, and community were also measured. Tables, references