This article contains content related to domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please seek help from a professional or contact a helpline for support.

This article describes how the use of art in Participatory Action Research (PAR), as part of a community mental health resilience study, enabled a group of women in Guyana to address the violent and abusive domestic environments facing them. They had left their homes and communities to live in a sheltered domestic violence refuge with their children. Drawing pictures, reciting poems, and writing stories about those traumatic experiences helped them to develop positive thinking and strengthen their emotional wellbeing. It subsequently empowered them to discuss plans for leaving the refuge and returning to a life outside. Surprisingly, gaining employment was their main cause for concern around establishing a safe environment for themselves and their children.

Domestic violence is a persistent and major problem throughout the world that seriously impacts on individuals’ lives. It frequently leads to physical, psychological and social problems. Inman and Rao (2018) define it as a pattern of behaviour between people in an intimate relationship where the intent is to control and dominate through psychological, physical and sexual mistreatment. This abuse can include cursing and screaming, as well as degradation by constantly criticising a partner’s thoughts, feelings and opinions. More severe forms involve threats to cause harm, remove children, or kill the partner or oneself. The perpetrator is often in a position of power by controlling finances, food and socialisation with other family members.

Through art, the women in the study were able to tell their stories of hardship and coping with domestic violence and abuse. We used art in a Participatory Action Research approach (PAR) within digital storytelling (Liguori et al., 2023) to empower the women to make changes to their lives. PAR is a social, practical and collaborative activity where building relationships among all participants and the researchers is crucial in working towards self-determination and reform (Koch, 2006, 2015). PAR gives participants a voice to tell and find understandings of coping in their digital stories and deliver outcomes as co-researchers, rather than through the imposition of pre-determined actions (Bradbury, 2015; Dick, 2004; Koch, 2015). The cycle in the image below describes the processes of using PAR within digital storytelling to help participants to tell their stories and makes changes or transformations in their lives.

PAR Digital storytelling transformation cycle (Mitchell and Waights, 2024, adapted from Koch, 2006)

The process of digital storytelling involved the women creating artworks, then photographing and arranging their images into a digital narrative. Several common themes emerged from the process. All the women’s stories described how they were now ‘Feeling free’. They wanted to share how they felt they had ‘got away’ from the abuse and could begin to rebuild their lives. The pictures they created showed how the women’s sense of self-worth, confidence and self-esteem grew as they created boxes filled with epigrams and images of their views, hopes and aspirations. Their self-belief increased as they created pictorial toolboxes bulging with ideas and skills in readiness to begin new lives in a new community. The acquisition of these artistic skills also helped some of the women to gain employment. The confidence developed in creating pictures and other resources led to one applying for an entrepreneurial course and another produced Christmas cards which she later developed as a business. 

The process of creating artwork and digital narratives also enabled a sense of community, improved communication, and the sharing of important information. As they viewed each other’s pictures, toolbox contents and listened to poems, the women in our project learned how others coped with domestic violence. They realised they were not alone and recognised honesty as important when disclosing feelings rather than withholding them. They admitted to feeling depressed, angry and fearful for the future, yet were afraid to seek help within their communities as that trust had been broken. The women agreed that transition back to the community was often difficult due to inadequate or not easily accessible support services. Support was therefore crucial when they returned to the community.

The PAR process also helped the women to make sense of the changes in their lives, and to take key decisions in order to move forward. The pictures demonstrated happier times with families and friends, especially periods of children spending time with their parents and siblings and community members. Unfortunately, those experiences had changed following the abuse. Many felt they could not return to their communities because that is where the abuse started. Their pictures highlighted that change was required to make the necessary lifestyle changes and develop new skills. They identified that they had to stay connected with relevant others to create a new life for themselves and their children. They began to feel mentally and physically stronger to cope with any adversity that they may face during this critical stage of their lives. 

Participatory Action Research can be a transformative experience for both participants and researchers. As researchers we felt privileged to be researching alongside these very strong and resilient women. Reflecting on their experiences of abuse through art made us realise how living in an abusive relationship undermined the women’s ability to feel confident in coming forward to deal with their situation. Their pictures told their story as they visualised what had happened to them. The after-effects of abuse can be so detrimental they leave long-lasting psychological scars for all involved. When, through art, such women feel supported and encouraged to describe, visualise and discuss their feelings, it helps them develop the courage necessary to leave an abusive environment, seek psychological support to adapt to the changes required thus improving their physical and emotional wellbeing.   

Author: Dr Helena Ann Mitchell and Verina Waights