“Untouchable”? Social Status, Identity, and Mental Health Among Adolescents in Nepal

Abstract

Caste is a primary basis for oppression in many parts of South Asia with individuals from low caste backgrounds commonly experiencing the degradation of untouchability and daily discrimination at both individual and systemic levels. The current study uses a mixed-methods, interdisciplinary approach to examine links between social status, identity, and mental health among 295 adolescents (51% females) from different social groups in Nepal. Quantitative surveys reveal that youth from low caste Dalit groups report more anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem compared with their counterparts from high caste (e.g., Brahmin) and ethnic indigenous (e.g., Gurung) groups. Caste identity is positively related to outcomes but does not significantly counteract the negative effects of social status. Ethnographic and interview data are used to inform, contextualize, and interpret these quantitative findings. Conceptual parallels to current race relations experienced in the United States are considered and discussed.