The use of arts‐based methodologies and methods with young people with complex psychosocial needs: A systematic narrative review

Abstract

Background Arts‐based methodologies and methods (ABM) can elicit rich and meaningful data with seldom‐heard groups and empower participants in research. Young people with complex psychosocial needs could be better engaged in research using arts‐based approaches to overcome communication and literacy issues as well as distrust of those with power, including researchers. A critical review of the use and impact of ABM among this population is timely. The purpose of this review is to synthesize and examine the experience and use of ABM with young people with complex psychosocial needs. Methods A systematic narrative literature review was conducted with a search of the literature from 2009 to 2021. All abstracts were reviewed independently by two authors and full papers were screened for eligibility against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data synthesis focused on a descriptive numerical summary and a thematic analysis focused on key patterns across papers relating to the review objectives. Results and Discussion A total of 25 papers were included. The most common issues of focus were mental health (n = 10) and homelessness (n = 11) and methods using Photovoice (n = 12) and Body Mapping (n = 5). Individual interview data (n = 20) were the most commonly analysed, followed by created works (n = 19). Less than half the studies involved young people in the interpretation of the data collected. Knowledge translation was not described in almost half the studies, with public exhibits (n = 7) and forums with service providers (n = 4) being the most common activities. Key themes across the studies were valued over traditional methods in eliciting data, ABM as an approach to engage these young people in research and the impact of the use of ABM on participants and on key stakeholders through knowledge translation. Conclusions The growing field of ABM presents opportunities to enhance research with young people with complex psychosocial needs by promoting meaningful exploration of experiences, engaging participants in research and strengthening knowledge translation. The involvement of young people in the interpretation of data and ensuring that knowledge translation occurs are key areas for future attention. Patient or Public Contribution The findings of this review will inform future research to improve the engagement of young people with complex psychosocial needs in research and promote power sharing between researchers and research participants.

Unpacking the Discourse on Youth Pathways into and out of Homelessness: Implications for Research Scholarship and Policy Interventions

“…First, the pathways approach offers opportunities to adopt and incorporate new forms of engaged scholarship, such as the use of arts-based research, enabling the co-construction and co-production of knowledge. Emerging research in this area points to the power of arts, narration, and story-telling in the capturing, meaning-making, and thoughtful interpretation of individuals with lived experience of homelessness [96][97][98]. For example, in one study, Moxley and Feen [96] demonstrated how storytelling by women experiencing homelessness revealed different pathways, with arts-based methods allowing for a deeper understanding through the photovoice technique.…”

Involvement of children and young people in the conduct of health research: A rapid umbrella review

“…It is possible that this reflects barriers to planning and implementing projects involving younger children. These barriers may include, for example, restrictions on time, effort and funding, institutional and ethical requirements to suitably accommodate younger children, 9,13,95,96,99,[106][107][108]112,113 as well as perceptions that younger children are less competent or capable of contributing value to research. 46,96,98,102,103 Another confounding factor is how involvement of younger children is reported within the literature.…”

Co-designing Guidelines for Using Arts-based methods when Conducting Youth Mental Health Research in Online Environments

“…Globally, it is estimated that one in seven 15-to-24-yearolds (14%) experiences a mental health disorder; anxiety and depressive disorders are the most common with a global prevalence of 3.4% and 4.6% respectively (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2019;World Health Organization, 2021). Arts-based methods have been used in youth mental health research (Abdulla, Abdulla, & Liamputtong, 2021;Atayero et al, 2020;Boydell, 2011;Boydell et al, 2016;Nathan et al, 2022). Topics explored include anxiety Woodgate, Zurba & Tennent, 2017a, 2017b, depression (Sawyer & Earle, 2019;Willis et al, 2018), and suicide (Keller et al, 2019).…”

“…ABM can facilitate accessing thoughts and experiences on sensitive topics and provide more nuanced perspectives than other research methods as they allow for creative exploration and expression of experiences in ways other than the usual verbal means (Austin & Forinash, 2005; Casey & Webb, 2019; Gerber et al, 2022). Arts-based methods are thus useful when working with children, youth, and young adults as these methods can address literacy issues, distrust of those in power, and facilitate communicating about topics young people may find difficult to discuss (Nathan et al, 2022).…”