"I can see it in their eyes, they think I'm crazy." Navigating the terrains of mental health through the experiences of young Somali individuals

Abstract

This master thesis aims to explore how young Somali individuals in Denmark and Norway experience and comprehend worries of the mind and how this influences their help-seeking behavior. Through this thesis, worries of the mind, mental health, and illness are used interchangeably, which has provided valuable insight that explores the same underlying concepts. Additionally, our earlier unpublished literature review, which explored the same research question as this thesis, has been briefly included to illustrate the existing knowledge as well as emphasize the need for further investigation. Furthermore, as this thesis research question aims to explore the individual's unique experiences, an idiographic and phenomenological approach has been chosen alongside case studies, allowing an in-depth exploration. Essential empirical data were obtained through seven semi-structured interviews, and case-by-case analysis was employed. The collected data is further analyzed through this thesis's theoretical selection of Acculturation and Proculturation, Social Identity Theory by Henri Tajfel, Positioning Theory by Rom Harré, Social Representation Theory elaborated by Ivana Markova, Intersectionality and Socio-cultural perspective on Life-course by Tania Zittoun. Moreover, the analysis findings, the interplay of theories, methodological strengths and limitations, and future research and clinical implications were discussed. The findings of this thesis include how seven young Somali individuals in Denmark and Norway navigate two cultural identities, which are the basis for how they perceive worries of the mind and aspects of mental health and suffering. These two cultural identities provide different frameworks for understanding mental health, which most informants implement and alternate through various degrees, depending on their level of acculturation or proculturation. Additionally, five out of seven informants are observed to have proculturated, and two reports to have acculturated, where the major findings of alternating between frameworks are relevant to the six mentioned. These frameworks are Islamic, Somali, and either Danish or Norwegian, where the latter is primarily chosen in recognizing and understanding topics of mental health and illness and the former in treating and coping with it. The findings also include aspects of intersectionality, where individuals experience stigma and discrimination regarding mental health difficulties as well as their ethnic and racial backgrounds. Furthermore, the participants' experiences with worries of the mind and mental health and illness varied, where some were seen to have experienced substantial mental struggles, and some reported minor or minimal experiences with mental health struggles. Nevertheless, despite these individual distinctions, the major findings highlight how young Somali individuals in Denmark and Norway navigate between two cultural identities, which impact how they perceive and comprehend worries of the mind and further influence how they choose to treat it, affecting their help-seeking behavior

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A master thesis from Aalborg University

"I can see it in their eyes, they think I'm crazy." Navigating the terrains of mental health through the experiences of young Somali individuals