The Impact of Social Exclusion on Mental Health: A Phenomenological Study on the Sweeper Community

The sweeper community in Bangladesh occupies one of the most socially marginalized positions within an entrenched caste-based hierarchy, facing systematic social exclusion that permeates virtually every domain of their daily lives. Despite the well-documented relationship between social exclusion and adverse mental health outcomes in international literature, the lived psychological experiences of sanitation workers in South Asian contexts remain profoundly understudied. This phenomenological study explores the subjective mental health consequences of social exclusion among 18 adult members of the sweeper community in Dhaka, Bangladesh, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Four overarching themes emerged: (1) internalized stigma and erosion of self-worth, (2) chronic psychological distress and depression-like experiences, (3) social isolation and relational deprivation, and (4) resilience, coping, and meaning-making amid exclusion. Findings reveal that participants experienced pervasive shame, occupational stigma, and profound loneliness compounded by caste discrimination, restricted civic participation, and spatial segregation in housing and education. Despite these adversities, participants drew on religious faith, community solidarity, and familial bonds as psychological buffers. The study underscores an urgent need for culturally responsive mental health services, anti-discrimination policy, and inclusive community programs targeting structurally marginalized populations in Bangladesh and the broader South Asian region.