From the 1970s to the 1980s, Malaysia experienced a series of mass hysteria outbreaks, primarily affecting school-age girls and young women working in factories. The outbreaks, which were characterized by screaming, shaking, and trance-like states, were locally attributed to possession by spirits or jinn. The phenomenon reflected the social and economic pressures faced by young women in rapidly industrializing Malaysia, as well as the persistence of traditional beliefs in a modern context.

The Malaysian factory possession epidemics have been the subject of literary and anthropological works that explore the intersection of modernity, tradition, and gender. The events have inspired poets and writers to examine the psychological toll of industrialization and the role of spirit possession as a form of resistance or coping mechanism. They also serve as a powerful example of how mass hysteria can be shaped by cultural beliefs and social conditions.