Problemas de nervos: a multivocal symbol of distress for Portuguese immigrants

Abstract This article outlines research on a previous unstudied form of suffering specific to the Portugese immigrant community: problemas de nervos. Thirty-two Portuguese immigrant women (in Waterloo, ON and Boston, MA) were interviewed and each completed a questionnaire. Cluster analysis demonstrated that problemas de nervos has many meanings. The study profiled symptoms, causes and therapies associated with four vari-ations of this culture-specific form of distress: “mal da cabeca ” meaning problems with/in the head (e.g., lack of control, visions); “aflição ” meaning affliction (e.g., nervous attacks, heart problems); immigration stress (causing sleep disturbances); and, conflicts with others (resulting in pressure within the body). None of the symptom clusters reported matched Vol 46(2): 285–299 DOI: 10.1177/1363461509105819 www.sagepublications.com Copyright © 2009 McGill University transcultural psychiatr