Exploring Nigerian Women Depression Barriers

Exploring Nigerian Women Depression Barriers

Chapter 1

Introduction

Nigeria is Africa’s most depressed country with 31.6% of the population, or seven million people, having reported depressive symptoms in 2015, compared to that of 4.48 million people from Ethiopia and 2.87 million people from the Dominican Republic (World Health Organization, 2017). Perceptions of depression demonstrate stark differences between Nigerian males and females. Nigerian men tend to believe that depression does not exist, whereas the women perceive depression as an experience of a spiritual attack, or the result of sociomoral concerns over gender roles (Adeponle, Groleau, Kola, Kirmayer, & Gureje, 2017; Ezeobele, Ekwemalor, & Ogunbor, 2019).

Many Nigerian immigrants to the United States (U.S.) experience acculturation issues, including socio-cultural adaptation,…