RESILIENCE AMIDST TRAUMA: UNDERSTANDING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YAZIDI WOMEN IN IRAQ

Abstract

This study explores how gendered realities affect the mental health of Yazidi women, currently displaced in Northern Iraq. The aim is to identify positive and negative gender practices, explore their impact on mental health outcomes, and situate them in the cultural and socio-political context of the Yazidi community. The study adopts a mixed methods research design, combining the results of a quantitative survey conducted through a door-todoor assessment of Yazidi women living in two camps (N = 204) and semistructured interviews (N = 13). The findings reveal that gendered social control has a profound impact on Yazidi women’s mental health by undermining their need for agency and freedom, preventing them from participating in beneficial activities and pursuing goals, and sometimes causing conflicts with their families.