A photovoice examination of community strengths and challenges in mental health and wellbeing of young women in three urban communities in Kampala,Uganda

Abstract

Uganda has a rapidly urbanizing population and the world’s second youngest population. Further, gender inequities contribute to young women in urban Uganda experiencing multiple unmet health and wellbeing needs. However, their perspectives are rarely included in health research or decision making and their lives rarely examined to capture community strengths. We conducted a qualitative study using Photovoice with 15 women aged 18–24 years across three urban sites within Kampala, Uganda. To capture perceptions of strengths, we prompted participants to take photos reflecting ‘TOPOWA’, meaning ‘don’t give up’ in Luganda. Researchers conducted inductive thematic analysis of photos and discussion transcripts and participants contributed to theme validation. Multiple themes emerged from the narrative and visual data across all three sites. This article focuses on the theme of wellbeing and mental health, which encompasses community strengths, protective factors and resilience. Findings provide evidence for health promotion for young women in urban Kampala and similar sub-Saharan African settings through unique, contextual visual and narrative evidence. Notably, existing community strengths are highlighted as potential areas to build upon for health promotion interventions for wellbeing and mental health. Furthermore, findings shaped an ongoing cohort study of mental health trajectories for young women in Uganda.