Browsing by Subject "ethnopsychology"

Background: Emotions are shaped through the internalization of culturally relevant values. Contextualized systems of meaning influence an individual’s experience of emotion, the consequences of a given response, and their connection to long-term functional outcomes. The present study aims to explore the socioemotional world of Nepali adolescents, in order to understand emotional needs and identify opportunities for psychosocial intervention. Methods: A tablet-based battery of quantitative assessments was administered to 102 students in grades 7-9 (age 12-18) in an earthquake affected region of the Kathmandu Valley. Assessments included measures of anxiety, PTSD, functional impairment, and a local idiom of distress (problems in the heart-mind). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 students and explored the emotional experience of a recent stressor. Results: Three domains of emotion experience emerged: cognitive, physical, and social. While key differences in emotional distress across gender and cultural groups emerged, similarities in the overarching model suggest a shared understanding of negative emotion among Nepali adolescents. Of particular note is the social domain, involving both interpersonal and communal elements, which included the local idiom of distress, which has previously been linked to depression risk. Conclusion: This tripartite conceptualization of emotion is a critical step toward understanding cultural meanings of emotional wellbeing, and the connection between socially experienced emotion and psychopathology underlines the importance of psychosocial integration in future interventions.

To explore the relationship between traditional healers and psychotherapy, we conducted a combined qualitative study and structured observational rating of healers in the middle hills region of central Nepal. We interviewed and observed 84 participants, of 29 were traditional healers. We conducted qualitative observations of healing, as well as rated healing behavior using an observational multiple measure of empathy, emotional validation, and therapeutic alliance. Using the rated measures of healing behaviors in a case study, we found that healers who were perceived by their clients as successful scored well on alliance, empathy, promoting expectations of recovery, and use of cultural models of distress. From our thematic analysis, participants described a range of interventions that improved health through belief, satisfaction in the soul, social support, and symbolic transference. The results of our structured observation suggest healers use the same processes also observed in psychotherapy. Our qualitative results suggest that healers offer an explanatory paradigm to accept a disease state, cope with it, and to experience palliation of distress. Further research is needed to explore if these practices can be generalized to healers in other parts of Nepal and other settings.