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 ID | 39837 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Igreja, Victor (Author), Dias-Lambranca, Beatrice (Author), Hershey, Douglas A. (Author), Racin, Limore (Author), Richters, Annemiek (Author) and Reis, Ria (Author) |
| Journal Title | Social Science and Medicine |
| Journal Citation | 71 (3), pp. 592 -599 |
| Number of Pages | 8 |
| Year | 2010 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
| ISSN | 0277-9536 |
| 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. |
| Keywords | civil war; Cold War; legacies of violence; epidemiology; spirit possession; collective memory; embodied accountability; transitional justice; Mozambique; Africa |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 440107. 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 | |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | University of Queensland |
| Independent Researcher, Australia | |
| Oklahoma State University, United States | |
| Reichman University, Israel | |
| Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands | |
| University of Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
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