Presentation Information
[SY-113-03]Perceptions on "Depression" among the Tuareg and Arab
Communities of Tamanrasset
*Tinhinane Kessai, Jude Nachabe, Andrew Ryder (Concordia University (Canada))
Keywords:
Amazigh cultures,Cultural consensus modeling,Interpretations of depression
The experience of mental health is rooted in cultural contexts, yet psychological frameworks often rely on Western-centric models, assuming universal applicability. This study investigates culturally specific understandings of depression among Tuareg and Arab communities in Tamanrasset, Algeria, employing an emic lens to explore culturally rooted idioms, symptoms, and interpretations of depression. Using the Cultural Consensus Modeling, participants (n=10) provided data through free-listing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Preliminary findings have examined tamazai, a culturally significant idiom of distress that, while resembling depression, encompasses broader experiences of loneliness, displacement, and spiritual imbalance—an understanding shaped by the historically semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Tuareg. This highlights the unique social and spiritual dimensions of mental health within the community, and points at the limitations of Western clinical frameworks reinforcing the need for culturally tailored approaches, as explored in this study.