Presentation Information
[O-6-02]The Implications of Nationalism on Mental Health Care in the United States: A Qualitative Systematic Review
*Michelle Raji (Baylor College of Medicine(United States of America))
Keywords:
United States,migration,nationalism,social exclusion
Background: In the United States, no sector is untouched by a rising set of beliefs and feelings, often exclusionary, about who should inhabit its territory, also known as nationalism. Even the provision of health care, including mental health, is increasingly governed by nationalistic messaging, encapsulated by the popular national slogan, “Make America Healthy Again,” and concomitant policy, including withdrawing from the W.H.O. and defunding research including such concepts as “disability,” “multicultural,” and “sense of belonging.” Beyond ideology, nationalism can be considered a feature of culture, like kinship or religion, what historian and theorist of nationalism, Benedict Anderson, calls “imagined communities.” In this project, I will examine the ways in which nationalism, as a varied, salient, and dynamic feature of American culture, might shape expressions of emotional distress and change health care practices.
Methods: A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature from January 1900 to May 2025 will be conducted on the Pubmed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases. I will identify common themes in individual qualitative studies, employ narrative synthesis, and consider potential gaps in the literature. I will apply conceptual models generated by this thematic analysis to a case study touching on the implications of nationalism on community-based mental health care in the United States.
Results: Research in this area focuses mainly on the historical role of psychiatrists in recognizing and promoting nationalism and eugenics; psycho-pathologization of nationalistic beliefs; migration-related and genocide-related trauma; and the effects of nationalistic beliefs on individual mental health outcomes, for in and out groups.
Discussion: Understanding nationalism is useful for psychiatrists as it shapes many individuals’ ability to achieve dimensions of psychological wellbeing, especially with regard to social connectedness. In other words, perceived inclusion in or exclusion from these “imagined communities” has real-life implications on mental health and should be studied.
Methods: A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature from January 1900 to May 2025 will be conducted on the Pubmed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases. I will identify common themes in individual qualitative studies, employ narrative synthesis, and consider potential gaps in the literature. I will apply conceptual models generated by this thematic analysis to a case study touching on the implications of nationalism on community-based mental health care in the United States.
Results: Research in this area focuses mainly on the historical role of psychiatrists in recognizing and promoting nationalism and eugenics; psycho-pathologization of nationalistic beliefs; migration-related and genocide-related trauma; and the effects of nationalistic beliefs on individual mental health outcomes, for in and out groups.
Discussion: Understanding nationalism is useful for psychiatrists as it shapes many individuals’ ability to achieve dimensions of psychological wellbeing, especially with regard to social connectedness. In other words, perceived inclusion in or exclusion from these “imagined communities” has real-life implications on mental health and should be studied.