Conceptualising Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara mental health beliefs

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives Very little is known about how Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara describe and explain mental health from their own perspectives without resorting to Western frameworks. This study used a social contextual research approach to describe how Anangu talk about behaviours that are called “mental illness” in Western contexts, their explanations about the contexts they believe shape these behaviours, and how Anangu support people who exhibit them. Method Seven senior Anangu were repeat interviewed between 1–2 hours by an Anangu researcher for a combined total time of 31 hours in a “yarning” conversational approach. Interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis approach to explore the contextual features giving rise to mental health behaviours. Results Results indicated that in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands there are complex interactions between fundamental ancient beliefs of cultural processes and the changing Western influences since colonisation, and examples are given of each of these. The same looking Western behaviours of “mental health” could arise from alternative traditional contexts. Conclusions This research fills a gap and adds to the very small amount of Anangu mental health literature by providing an extensive overview of the mental health behaviours from the perspectives of Anangu themselves. It also shows how there can be gaps in research done without Indigenous researchers onboard.