I can't tell you how many times I've heard a song, read a poem, or seen a photo that transformed my point of view. But the viewing or listening audience may not be the only ones who benefit from art: Sometimes the act of creating can be therapeutic for the artist, too. So I was interested to read about a study that looked at photography as a means to facilitate empowerment among women with HIV.
Scientists at the University of Missouri partnered with the charity PhotoVoice in a project called Picturing New Possibilities. Thirty women with HIV who were poor and members of a racial or ethnic minority group were given cameras to capture and document their daily lives. They discussed their images in small-group settings and had the option to display them in public exhibits. Then the women were interviewed about their experience with the project.
From a release:
"When the women got the cameras in their hands, they chose to focus on their strengths - not just their challenging circumstances," [first author Michelle Teti, DrPH] said. "They were able to reflect on what they had overcome in their lives despite illness. Many women said such opportunities for reflection were few amid their other life responsibilities. The photovoice project really enabled these women to stop, reflect and think about their HIV and their lives in new and often positive ways."
The results of the study, which was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, were published in the Journal of Nurses in AIDS Care (subscription required).
Holly MacCormick is a writing intern in the medical school’s Office of Communication & Public Affairs. She is a graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology at University of California-Santa Cruz.
Previously: Dramatic art depicts triumph over HIV, WHO’s new recommendations on contraceptive use and HIV, Engagement in arts or sports linked with greater well-being, Scottish report shows and Research suggests art lovers may fare better after a stroke
Photo by Sasha D Butler
