Depression in the South Asian Muslim Diaspora
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Authors
Tahir, Duryab
Issue Date
2024-07-03
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
depression , Muslim , 9/11 , Islamophobia , acculturation , somatization , South Asian communities
Alternative Title
Abstract
This capstone addresses the mental health of the South Asian Muslim diaspora, specifically depression, and what contributes to depression or depressive symptoms in the South Asian Muslim diaspora. This capstone also aims to highlight the gaps in existing research. There is dearth of research on factors that contribute to depression in the South Asian Muslim diaspora in the west. This dearth might be explained by adopting a Western framework of understanding. Therefore, this paper utilizes a theoretical lens that might accurately capture the South Asian Muslim diasporic experiences (i.e., feminist framework, intersectionality framework and multicultural framework). Adopting such a lens enables an understanding of how the event of 9/11 led to Islamophobia, along with how acculturation in South Asian Muslim communities contributes to mental health and depression in South Asians residing in the West. This paper provides an extensive literature review to investigate how each factor potentially contributes to depression, followed by future implications and recommendations for mental health workers and advocates who aim to work with South Asian Muslims.