Whence Orthodox Jewish Feminism? Cognitive Dissonance and Religious Change in the United States

A large literature on feminist theology and philosophy of religion has explored the various ways in which feminism has reshaped religious thought and practice within different faith traditions. This study uses Festinger’s (1965) cognitive dissonance theory and the 2017 Nishma Research Survey of American Modern Orthodox Jews to examine the effect of tension between feminism and Orthodox Judaism on lay men and women. For 14% of Modern Orthodox Jews, issues related to women or women’s roles are what cause them “the most pain or unhappiness„ as Orthodox Jews. The paper examines the sociodemographic characteristics associated with this response and tests whether those who experience this cognitive dissonance are more likely to (1) advocate for changes in the role of women within Orthodox Judaism and/or (2) experience religious doubt. The analysis reveals that these individuals overwhelmingly take a feminist stance on issues related to women’s roles in Orthodox Judaism, and they also manifest more religious doubt. The paper discusses the dual potential of cognitive dissonance to either spur changes in women’s religious roles in traditional religious communities and/or threaten the demographic vitality of those communities

Impact of age at onset on the phenomenology of depression in treatment-seeking adults in the STARD trial

- Adolescence is characterized by biological, emotional, and behavioral changes. The onset of depression during this vulnerable time may confer specific risks. This study examined whether symptoms of depression were associated with age at onset (AAO), and whether AAO impacted depression symptom networks in adulthood. - Data were from the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial. 3,184 depressed participants were included in analyses. A series of multiple regressions examined whether pretreatment differences in depression item-level symptom severity varied by AAO. Participants were divided into four groups based on AAO; GLASSO networks of depressive symptoms were estimated in each group and tests of differences between networks were performed. - Earlier AAO was associated with more severe symptom levels, with the exception of sleep-which increased with AAO, and loss of libido, psychomotor disturbance, and appetite-weight disturbance, which were invariant with AAO. In network analyses, the adolescent AAO symptom network significantly differed from the young adult and middle age AAO networks in structure and strength. In contrast, the child AAO network differed from the middle age AAO network in strength only. - Age at onset was recalled retrospectively and may be subject to bias. Future prospective studies should be conducted to address this limitation. - Adolescence stands out as a time when onset of depression is associated with specific network characteristics. The unique severity of symptoms and network strength and structure caused by onset of depression during adolescence highlights the long-lasting impact of depression on the developing brain

The severity and role of somatic depressive symptoms in psychological networks in a longitudinal sample of peripartum women

The inclusion of somatic symptoms in assessing peripartum depression (PPD), which encompasses depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period, has remained controversial, as there is substantial overlap between somatic depression symptoms and normal features of pregnancy/postpartum. This study examined whether trajectories differed by PPD symptom subscale and whether PPD symptom networks changed as a function of the peripartum phase. 418 women with a history of neuropsychiatric illness participated in a longitudinal observational study, completing symptom questionnaires assessing affective, cognitive, and somatic symptoms throughout pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Assessments were grouped into five peripartum phases: three trimesters of pregnancy and early/late postpartum. Two analyses were performed. First, a series of multilevel spline regression models examined depression subscale trajectories over peripartum phase. Second, symptom networks and related metrics were estimated for each peripartum phase and compared. Somatic symptoms were most severe and had the most variable peripartum trajectory. The role of somatic symptoms within the networks also changed as a function of peripartum phase. Our results suggest that somatic symptoms can be severe and may play a crucial role in the maintenance of PPD. Thus, somatic symptoms should not be disregarded when assessing for PPD in obstetrical, psychiatric, and pediatric clinics, and clinical research. •Somatic depression symptoms were most severe across peripartum time.•The trajectory of somatic depression symptoms varied most over peripartum time.•Somatic symptoms are critical in the maintenance of peripartum depression.•Somatic symptoms should be included when assessing peripartum depression in the lab and clinic

Modeling morphological learning, typology, and change : What can the neural sequence-to-sequence framework contribute?

We survey research using neural sequence-to-sequence models as computational models of morphological learning and learnability. We discuss their use in determining the predictability of inflectional exponents, in making predictions about language acquisition and in modeling language change. Finally, we make some proposals for future work in these areas