The epidemiology of spirit possession in the aftermath of mass political violence in Mozambique

Article


Igreja, Victor, Dias-Lambranca, Beatrice, Hershey, Douglas A., Racin, Limore, Richters, Annemiek and Reis, Ria. 2010. "The epidemiology of spirit possession in the aftermath of mass political violence in Mozambique." Social Science and Medicine. 71 (3), pp. 592 -599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.04.024
Article Title

The epidemiology of spirit possession in the aftermath of mass political violence in Mozambique

ERA Journal ID39837
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsIgreja, Victor (Author), Dias-Lambranca, Beatrice (Author), Hershey, Douglas A. (Author), Racin, Limore (Author), Richters, Annemiek (Author) and Reis, Ria (Author)
Journal TitleSocial Science and Medicine
Journal Citation71 (3), pp. 592 -599
Number of Pages8
Year2010
Place of PublicationUnited Kingdom
ISSN0277-9536
1873-5347
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.04.024
Web Address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953610003540?via%3Dihub
Abstract

In this article we assess the prevalence rates of harmful spirit possession, different features of the spirits and of their hosts, the correlates of the spirit possession experience, health patterns and the sources of health care consulted by possessed individuals in a population sample of 941 adults (255 men, 686 women) in post-civil war Mozambique in 2003-2004. A combined quantitative-qualitative research design was used for data collection. A major study outcome is that the prevalence rates vary according to the severity of the possession as measured by the number of harmful spirits involved in the affliction. The prevalence rate of participants suffering from at least one spirit was 18.6 percent; among those individuals, 5.6 percent were suffering from possession by two or more spirits. A comparison between possessed and non-possessed individuals shows that certain types of spirit possession are a major cause of health impairment. We propose that knowledge of both local understandings of harmful spirit possession and the community prevalence of this kind of possession is a precondition for designing public health interventions that sensitively respond to the health needs of people afflicted by spirits.

Keywordscivil war; Cold War; legacies of violence; epidemiology; spirit possession; collective memory; embodied accountability; transitional justice; Mozambique; Africa
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020440107. Social and cultural anthropology
440599. Gender studies not elsewhere classified
441004. Social change
520599. Social and personality psychology not elsewhere classified
420313. Mental health services
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Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Queensland
Independent Researcher, Australia
Oklahoma State University, United States
Reichman University, Israel
Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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