Photovoice and empowerment: Evaluating the transformative potential of a participatory action research project

189Citations
Citations of this article
600Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Background: Photovoice is a visual research methodology with the intention to foster social change. Photovoice has been used to investigate change in empowerment in vulnerable communities, However, the individual experience of participants involved in Photovoice projects is seldom scrutinized. Our aim was to explore and describe the individual experiences of the female individuals who participated in a previous Photovoice project. We analyzed a change in the women's empowerment in terms of: 1) gain in knowledge and skills, 2) change in self-perception, and 3) access to and use of resources. Methods: This qualitative study took place in the low-income District of Villaverde (Madrid, Spain), from January-June 2016. We conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with the female residents who had participated in the previous Photovoice project. We also collected field notes. We analyzed these data through a direct qualitative content analysis. The three outlined dimensions of empowerment provided guidance for the analysis of the results. Results: We found positive changes in the three dimensions of empowerment: 1) participants acquired new knowledge and developed critical awareness of their community; 2) the social recognition participants received transformed their self-perception; and 3) the project allowed them to expand their social networks and to build new links with different actors (research partners, local decision makers, media and the wider public). Conclusions: Photovoice projects entail the opportunity for empowering participants. Future research using Photovoice should assess the influence it has on participants' empowerment changes and how to sustain these individual and social changes.

References Powered by Scopus

Photovoice: Concept, Methodology, and Use for Participatory Needs Assessment

3548Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Photovoice: A participatory action research strategy applied to women's health

1157Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Empowerment Education: Freire's Ideas Adapted to Health Education

678Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Researching Multisystemic Resilience: A Sample Methodology

62Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Reframing Photovoice: Building on the Method to Develop More Equitable and Responsive Research Practices

60Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

The participatory arts-based research project as an exceptional sphere of belonging

41Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Budig, K., Diez, J., Conde, P., Sastre, M., Hernán, M., & Franco, M. (2018). Photovoice and empowerment: Evaluating the transformative potential of a participatory action research project. BMC Public Health, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5335-7

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 205

62%

Researcher 61

18%

Lecturer / Post doc 39

12%

Professor / Associate Prof. 25

8%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Social Sciences 109

44%

Nursing and Health Professions 61

24%

Psychology 41

16%

Medicine and Dentistry 38

15%

Article Metrics

Tooltip
Mentions
Blog Mentions: 1
News Mentions: 11
References: 1
Social Media
Shares, Likes & Comments: 31

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free