Situation migratoire tunisienne à l'épreuve de la maladie d'Alzheimer : une approche transculturelle

The loss of identity markers and boundaries observed in Alzheimer type dementia are here explored in a transcultural approach which aims to shed light on 'pathogenetic' and 'pathoplastic' components of the illness. While certain components in this condition occurring worldwide appear constant, what is the influence of the socio-cultural setting on symptoms? To capture the heterogeneity of this illness, the meaning of a person's needs must be taken into account, as well as relational and contextual factors. The analysis of the psychic function of ten Tunisians living in France and ten living in Tunisia was performed following protocols from the Thematic Apperception Test. While the characteristic representational 'emptying' does not differ from one population to another, the study shows that altered representations of self are more noticeable in the group of immigrant subjects. The challenges of migration also seem to reinforce the quest for an archaic object relationship, where attachment drives play a large part.