Using Dance to Disseminate Qualitative Research

How can the creative arts elicit and portray essential research findings and promote usable knowledge and understanding? This presentation focuses on a project that used arts-informed methodology - a choreographed research based dance production - to contribute to our understanding of pathways to mental health care and to explore the arts as an effective knowledge translation vehicle for communication of qualitative research and engaging with and informing multiple audiences

Visual Embodiment of Psychosis: Ethical Concerns in Performing Difficult Experiences

Arts-based health research has increased dramatically in recent years. Many academics are collaborating across disciplines including health and social sciences, humanities and the arts. Using artistic modes of research representation allows for a different way of participating and may enhance the likelihood of making an impact (negative or positive) on the audience and, consequently, on artists and researchers. This paper focuses on the concept of ‘dangerous emotional terrain’, used to describe the potential negative impacts of using the arts, in this case dance, in research dissemination. We focus on a seldom-explored area – the impact on artists embodying research results of difficult lived experiences. The potential for harm to performers engaging in arts-based research requires consideration. Actors and other artists and their experiences of depicting suffering and pain, for example, remain relatively unexplored. What are our responsibilities to performers taking on this role? What are the ethical implications of engaging in such work? This paper explores these questions and identifies four strategies to tackle emotional impact: reflexive practice, creation of a safe and supportive environment, address issues of audience, and focus on balance between types of performance, and between work and home

Structuring Photovoice for Community Impact: A Protocol for Research With Women With Physical Disability

Women with disability face participation barriers based on long-held misconceptions around their identity that adversely affect their health, income levels, and access to education and employment. It has been noted that photographs produced through photovoice methodology can help dismantle attitudinal and environmental barriers that people with disability continue to confront, but this method is rarely assessed for impact. In this protocol paper, we merge principles of feminist theory, photovoice methodology and integrated knowledge translation to generate 1. exhibition-quality participant-created photography on identity, 2. discussion around and insight into inclusion for women with disability and 3. a public exhibition to understand any impact these photographs may have on audiences and discriminatory barriers. Photographs, text, discussions and audience feedback are to be interrogated through thematic and narrative analysis. By aiming our arts-based research findings for a public audience, we hope to advance understanding of female identity and inclusion.Frauen mit Beeinträchtigungen erleben oft Teilhabebarrieren infolge langdauernder Fehleinschätzungen über ihre Identität, gefolgt von negativen Effekten für ihre Gesundheit, ihr Einkommen und ihren Zugang zu Bildung und Arbeit. In rückliegenden Arbeiten wurde bereits gezeigt, dass Fotos, die mittels des Photovoice-Verfahrens produziert wurden, halfen, Einstellungs- und Umgebungsbarrieren abzubauen, allerdings wurde die Methode kaum mit Blick auf möglichen öffentlichen Impact genutzt. In diesem Protokollpapier haben wir Prinzipien miteinander verbunden, die auf feministische Theorien, die Photovoice-Methode und integrierte Wissensvermittlungspraktiken zurückgehen, um 1. ausstellungsreife Fotografien zur Identität der Forschungsteilnehmerinnen zu generieren, 2. zur Diskussion von und Einsicht in Inklusion für beeinträchtige Frauen beizutragen und 3. eine Ausstellung zu initiieren, um zu verstehen, welchen Impact die Fotos auf das Publikum und auf diskriminierende Barrieren haben können. Fotografien, Texte, Diskussionen und Publikums-Feedback wurden einer thematischen und narrativen Analyse unterzogen. Indem wir mit unserer kunstbasierten Forschung eine breite Öffentlichkeit adressierten, hoffen wir, zu einem besseren Verständnis von weiblicher Identität und Inklusion beigetragen zu haben

“Chains Weigh Heavy”: Body Mapping Embodied Experiences of Anxiety

Anxiety has both cognitive and somatic dimensions as is ubiquitous at a population level. We report on an arts-based research workshop gathering data on embodied experiences of anxiety and non-anxiety. We developed an innovative short body mapping workshop to collect data and undertook thematic analysis to analyse textual and visual data. 35 body maps were produced. “Tightness,” “pain,” and “heaviness” were the most frequently expressed embodied sensations of anxiety. By contrast, when not feeling anxious, participants’ bodies primarily felt “energetic,” “ordered,” and “open.” Anxiety was most frequently felt in the stomach, head and heart. 35 Participants mostly used an abstracted, rather than figurative, visual language to depict anxiety. Conclusions: Participants reported diverse bodily experiences of anxiety, some of which correlate with commonly identified somatic symptoms of anxiety. Other symptoms were unique to participants. The richness and diversity of anxiety experiences elicited during workshops indicates that the brief body mapping approach has potential application in future research, and in other settings

Digital Storytelling in Research: A Systematic Review

Digital storytelling refers to a 2 to 5 minute audio-visual clip combining photographs, voice-over narration, and other audio (Lambert, 2009) originally applied for community development, artistic and therapeutic purposes, and more recently adapted as an arts-based research method. To date, no systematic review of the use of digital storytelling in a research capacity, to generate information about a phenomenon has been conducted. Accordingly, our aim was to provide a systematic review of digital storytelling in research. The review identified 25 articles representing 23 discrete studies that met inclusion criteria. A thematic analysis of results indicated that digital storytelling in research was especially appropriate for use with marginalised groups, and was most commonly used in this context. There was some variation in the extent to which digital storytelling in research adhered to the principles with which it was originally developed. Surprisingly, although digital storytelling provides a ready-made knowledge translation product, few research projects employed the digital stories generated to this end. Across research projects, participants reported several benefits of digital storytelling. While some disadvantages were noted, overall, these were outweighed by the benefits of using a respectful, participatory research practice

What does leisure have to do with mental health – arts, creative and leisure practices and living with mental distress

There is a growing interest in the role of leisure, arts and creative activities in cultivating health and wellbeing across different contexts. Leisure sports have historically been considered beneficial for achieving health, and similar focus has recently been placed on arts and creativity. Recent research into the role of arts and creative engagement for wellbeing highlights the benefits of these modes of engagement on emotional wellbeing and social connectedness. In this article, we examine the ways arts, creative and leisure practices and mental health converge, co-exist and collide. We draw on feminist leisure studies scholarship and Sarah Ahmed’s work on emotion to discuss insights from our research into the everyday experiences of people living with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). We utilise qualitative methods to investigate people’s experiences of meaningful leisure practices and the dynamics between leisure practices and living well with the distress. We explore how leisure activities initiate complex processes of discovery and production of meanings, identity and wellbeing. Our discussion emphasises that leisure practices contribute to producing everyday forms of self-care and provide transformative space for self-discovery yet are simultaneously inseparable from the politics of living with mental distress while navigating accumulated effects of distress

What makes women tired? A community sample

We aimed to determine the major health concerns or problems of women and their personal attributions for the causes of their primary health concerns. We used a survey of women from the Toronto area attending a women\u27s health symposium. Completed questionnaires were returned by 153 (85%) of 180 women attendees. Persistent fatigue was the primary and most commonly cited health concern. Fatigue was ranked first by 42 (27.5%) women and among the top 10 concerns by 123 (80.4%) women. Women attributed their fatigue to a combination of home and outside work (63.4%), poor sleep (38.2%), lack of time for self (34.1%), lack of exercise (32.5%), financial worries (28.5%), relationship problems (22.0%), emotional causes (17.9%), care of ill family members (13.8%), lack of social or individual support (9.8%), poor physical health (8.9%), work in home or child care (3.3%), or gender bias/harassment (2.4%). Our subjects, women from the community, overwhelmingly endorsed social determinants as the cause of their persistent fatigue. Although depression and anxiety form the most robust associations with persistent fatigue in primary care and community studies, women in this sample ranked these factors in seventh place in their attributions. Similarly, although physicians often assume physical causes for fatigue, women rank physical health low in their own attributions. Given the high prevalence of fatigue in women and its impact on quality of life, more attention needs to be given to the social, systemic, and personal factors that women feel contribute to their fatigue to develop more effective interventions

Accountability and pediatric physician-researchers: are theoretical models compatible with Canadian lived experience?

Physician-researchers are bound by professional obligations stemming from both the role of the physician and the role of the researcher. Currently, the dominant models for understanding the relationship between physician-researchers' clinical duties and research duties fit into three categories: the similarity position, the difference position and the middle ground. The law may be said to offer a fourth "model" that is independent from these three categories

Young people's response to six smartphone apps for anxiety and depression : focus group study

Background: Suicide is one of the most frequent causes of death in young people worldwide. Depression lies at the root of this issue, a condition that has a significant negative impact on the lives of those who experience it and on society more generally. However, 80% of affected young people do not obtain professional help for depression and other mental health issues. Therefore, a key challenge is to find innovative and appealing ways to engage young people in learning to manage their mental health. Research suggests that young people prefer to access anonymous Web-based programs rather than get face-to-face help, which has led to the development of numerous smartphone apps. However, the evidence indicates that not all of these apps are effective in engaging the interest of young people who are most in need of help. Objective: The study aimed to investigate young people’s response to six currently available smartphone apps for mental health and to identify features that young people like and dislike in such apps. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with 23 young people aged 13 to 25 years in which they viewed and used six smartphone apps for mental health. A general inductive approach following a realist paradigm guided data analysis. Results: The results revealed that young people value autonomy and the opportunity to personalize experiences with these apps above other things. Finding a balance between simplicity and informativeness is also an important factor. Conclusions: App developers need to consider using participant-design frameworks to ensure that smartphone apps are providing what young people want in a mental health app. Solutions to the need for personalization and increasing user engagement are also crucially needed

What constitutes brilliant aged care? : a qualitative study of practices that exceed expectation

Aim: This study aimed to explore what constitutes brilliant aged care. Background: Although many aged care services do not offer the care that older people and carers need and want, some perform better. Rather than focus on problems with aged care, this study examined brilliant aged care—practices that exceeded expectation. Design: The methodology for this study was informed by grounded theory, under-pinned by constructionism to socially construct meaning. Methods: This study invited nominations for a Brilliant Award via a survey, and inter-views with the nominees via web conference. After receiving survey responses from 10 nominators, interviews were conducted with 12 nominees. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and documented according to COREQ guidelines to optimise rigour and transparency. Results: According to participants, brilliant aged care involved being relationally at-tuned to older people, a deep understanding of the older person, recognition of aged care as more than a job, innovative practices and permission to reprioritise. Conclusions: This study suggests that, in aged care, brilliance happens. It emphasises the importance of meaningful connections and relationships in aged care, where thoughtful acts acknowledge an older person's value and humanity as well as creativity and innovation. Relevance to Clinical Practice: For those who manage and deliver aged care, the findings suggest that small practice changes can make a positive difference to older people. Brilliant aged care can involve acts of empathy; enthusiasm for aged care; innovative practices, even those that are small scale; and reprioritising workplace tasks to spend time with older people. For policymakers, this study highlights the need to recognise and raise the profile of the pockets of brilliance within the aged care sector. This might be achieved via awards and other initiatives that serve to celebrate and learn from brilliance in its myriad forms. Patient or Public Contribution: The nominees, who included carers, were invited to participate in workshops with other carers and older people to co-design a model of brilliant aged care, during which workshop participants discussed and critiqued the findings constructed from the data