“Mad, Mentally Ill, Permanently Unstable”? A Culture-Centered Approach to Jinn Possession Stigmas and Management Strategies Among Nigerian Muslims

This study examines how Nigerian Muslims with jinn possession experiences construct jinn possession stigmas, their socio-relational impacts, and management communication strategies. Interviews with 14 participants revealed that public, self, and enacted stigmas induced by family members and friends were reinforced by religio-cultural beliefs framing jinn possession as contagion, disease, or spiritual cultism. These stigmas led to social isolation, discrimination, emotional abuse, and internalized distress among participants. To navigate the stigmas, participants accepted jinn possession stigma through selective disclosure; challenged the application of jinn possession stigma to self by avoiding and concealing stigma attributes; and challenged public understanding of jinn possession and its application to self by denying, ignoring, and religiously accepting the condition as a temporary and divine test to seek Islamically grounded therapies. This study emphasizes the role of religious frameworks in shaping resilience strategies, suggesting that advocacy and religio-culturally sensitive interventions could mitigate jinn possession stigmatization. Ultimately, this research contributes to broader discussions on the intersection of religious beliefs, health communication, and promotion, alongside social perceptions in non-Western contexts. It also offers valuable insights into alternative epistemologies often excluded in health-related discourses.