Mental health during COVID-19 through Online Photovoice (OPV) in China

Abstract

This study investigates the primary facilitators of and barriers to mental health among Chinese participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected the participants' experiences using the Online Photovoice (OPV) method and analyzed the data through Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) to identify key facilitators and barriers. The results of the study revealed 12 major facilitator themes, including social support (21.58%, n = 41), socialization (15.26%, n = 29), and scenery (14.21%, n = 27). Conversely, eight major barrier themes emerged, including restricted daily life (34.71%, n = 59), the economy (32.94%, n = 56), and epidemic prevention policy (27.12%, n = 41). We discussed the findings and provided suggestions for researchers, mental health providers, key authorities, and educators. Our findings provide important implications for intervening in the mental health of individuals in response to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the researchers and the partners helped us with the study, we keep sharing the results with key authorities and at academic platforms.