Gender and mental health in possession film: a European and North American portrait

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dc.check.date2026-08-13en
dc.check.infoAccess to this article is restricted until 12 months after publication by request of the publisheren
dc.contributor.authorGil Poisa, Maríaen
dc.contributor.authorGoodwin, Johnen
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-12T13:56:53Z
dc.date.available2025-09-12T13:56:53Z
dc.date.issued2025-08-13en
dc.description.abstractThis study examines gender representation, demographic diversity, and mental health portrayal in possession-themed horror films, aiming to identify biases in portrayals of mental health support. Analyzing 43 films produced in Global North countries, 68 instances of possession were coded, revealing a disproportionate portrayal of female victims (50 females versus 17 males) and no representation of non-binary identities. Demographically, young (13–21 years, 49.25%) and white (76.12%) characters were overrepresented, with limited ethnic diversity and a predominance of Catholic or unspecified religious contexts. Regarding mental health portrayal, only 12 of the 68 possessed characters sought professional support, and 8 received formal diagnoses, with mental health deterioration often explained supernaturally. No gender differences in mental health access were noted. Common distress signs included hallucinations, bizarre behavior, dissociation, self-harm, and impulsivity, alongside less frequent symptoms like disinhibition and intrusive thoughts. Our content analysis showed that mental health was often framed within supernatural explanations, contributing to the stigmatization of psychological conditions. These findings suggest a need for more diverse and responsible storytelling in horror films to address gender and mental health biases, underscoring the genre’s reliance on gender stereotypes, limited demographic representation, and stigmatizing portrayals of mental health.en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationGil Poisa, M. and Goodwin, J. (2025) 'Gender and mental health in possession film: a European and North American portrait', Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, pp.1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2025.2546336en
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/15401383.2025.2546336en
dc.identifier.endpage12en
dc.identifier.issn1540-1383en
dc.identifier.issn1540-1391en
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Creativity in Mental Healthen
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17868
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherTaylor & Francisen
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Creativity in Mental Healthen
dc.rights© 2025, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an item published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Creativity in Mental Health on 13 August 2025, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2025.2546336en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/en
dc.subjectGender representationen
dc.subjectDemographic diversityen
dc.subjectMental health portrayalen
dc.subjectPossession-themed horror filmsen
dc.subjectExorcismen
dc.subjectGenderen
dc.subjectHorror filmen
dc.subjectMental healthen
dc.subjectPossessionen
dc.subjectStigmaen
dc.titleGender and mental health in possession film: a European and North American portraiten
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
dc.typejournal-articleen
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