Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41084066›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of mental health systems2025

Picturing a mental health journey: experience of a participatory photovoice approach to presenting recovery narratives of people with lived experiences and caregivers in Ethiopia.

Eshetu Girma, Bethel Ayele, Charlotte Hanlon, Petra C Gronholm, Dristy Gurung, Wubalem Fekadu, Graham Thornicroft, Brandon A Kohrt

Abstract read
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Article in International journal of mental health systems, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Eshetu GirmaAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. ekidane@aphrc.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9418-1775
Bethel AyeleSchool of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Charlotte HanlonDivision of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7937-3226
Petra C GronholmCentre for Global Mental Health, Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4482-6993
Dristy GurungCentre for Global Mental Health, Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1839-9382
Wubalem FekaduDepartment of Psychiatry, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Capacity Building, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Graham ThornicroftCentre for Global Mental Health and Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0662-0879
Brandon A KohrtCenter for Global Mental Health Equity, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3829-4820

Funding

RESHAPE Diversity SupplementR01MH120649 · NIMH · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI KOHRT, BRANDON ALAN · 2019 to 2023
$3.5M
Optimizing Provider Attitudes and Competence in Learning Mental Health Systems (OPAL)R21MH111280 · NIMH · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI GIRMA, ESHETU, KOHRT, BRANDON ALAN · 2016 to 2017
$369k
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) NIHR134325NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH120649NIMH NIH HHS R21 MH111280NIMH NIH HHS R21MH111280, R01MH120649UK Medical Research Council (UKRI) MR/R023697/1Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 222154/Z20/Z and 223615/Z/21/Z.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhotoVoice is a participatory approach that uses photography to offer a useful platform for sharing the stories of people with mental health conditions whose voices are often marginalized. This study aimed to explore the experiences of people with lived experiences and caregivers in constructing brief recovery narratives presented at training sessions that highlight their experiences before, during, and after mental health treatment.

methodA participatory photovoice study was carried out with 16 participants from the Sodo district, Ethiopia. The participants were people with lived experiences (n = 8) and caregivers (n = 8) selected via purposive sampling. Field notes, photographs and testimonies arising from the PhotoVoice sessions were analysed together with in-depth interviews with participants. The data were analysed via narratives used during photovoice sessions and thematic analysis.

resultsThe PhotoVoice training experience was mostly positively received and brought to light a variety of perceived benefits through providing an inclusive understanding of mental health and related misconceptions and by addressing stigma and discrimination-related myths in the community. Furthermore, the participants reported the benefit of being engaged in productive activities that improved their communication and relationships with other people. The photographs revealed the stigmatized experiences of participants seeking alternative treatment solutions and challenges in accessing and gaining awareness of mental health. Stress and fear of public speaking and negative feedback from their family and community were the main barriers to participation in the photoVoice sessions.

conclusionsThis study shows that PhotoVoice training has important value in eliciting insights from participants' lived experiences. The findings indicate that this approach is important for the empowerment of people with lived experiences and their family members and for coping with the stigma and discrimination they encounter. Stakeholders working in mental health can use and adapt this participatory technique to empower service users and family members and reduce the impacts of stigma associated with mental illnesses.

Indexed as

Mental healthParticipatory approachPhotoVoiceStigma and discrimination

Identifiers

PMID41084066
PMCPMC12519845

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.