Traditional beliefs and practices associated with relieving psychological problems of pregnant women of the Zeliang tribe
Cultural safety; Emotional well-being; India; Indigenous healing; Perinatal mental health; Pregnancy; Traditional medicine; Zeliang tribe
In Indigenous and resource-limited communities, emotional distress during pregnancy is often understood and managed through culturally grounded belief systems rather than biomedical frameworks. This qualitative study explores how pregnant women of the Zeliang tribe in Benreu village, Nagaland, perceive, interpret, and cope with emotional distress using traditional beliefs and practices. Guided by community psychology, cultural safety frameworks, and Lazarus and Folkmans Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten pregnant women and two traditional healers. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three interconnected themes were generated. First, emotional vulnerability and cultural conceptions of pregnancy revealed that fear, sadness, and emotional instability were interpreted through spiritual and ancestral meanings rather than psychiatric categories. Second, healing practices as emotional regulation tools illustrated how ritual chanting, fumigation, protective threads, and herbal remedies functioned as embodied coping mechanisms supported by intergenerational kin networks. Third, traditional healers roles in psychosocial support highlighted their function as trusted interpreters of distress who provide narrative explanation, reassurance, and culturally congruent guidance. Participants also described a complementary care pathway in which biomedical services were used for physical monitoring while emotional and spiritual concerns were addressed through traditional systems. The findings indicate that traditional healing within the Zeliang community operates as a culturally embedded model of perinatal emotional care integrating spiritual, relational, and symbolic dimensions of well-being. The study underscores the importance of culturally safe maternal mental health approaches that respect Indigenous explanatory systems and encourage collaboration between biomedical providers and community-based healing structures. The Author(s) 2026.
Saranya, T.S.; Gimcule; Gupta, Sandeep Kumar; Saibalaji, Sudha; Yucel, Sebnem; Naila, P.; Yucel, Recep; Philip, Smitha
Discover Mental Health;Volume;6;Issue;1;Article No.;92;
https://doi.org/10.1007/s44192-026-00442-3 https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105040399664?origin=resultslist
Saranya T.S., Amity Institute of Behavioural Health and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Bengaluru, India; Gimcule, Bengaluru, India; Gupta S.K., Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, India; Saibalaji S., SRMIST, Kattanlulathur, Chennai, India; Yucel S., Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey; Naila P., Bengaluru, India; Yucel R., Kirikkale University, Kirikkale, Turkey; Philip S., School of Psychological Sciences, Christ University, Bengaluru, India