The researcher from the IDIAPJGol Transversal Research Unit, Constanza Jacques, has led an investigation to self-assess the impact of the covid-19 pandemic among a group of adolescents from the commune of Recoleta, in Santiago de Chile. The study was carried out using the participatory photovoice technique, which allows participants to explore experiences related to emotional health through visual representations. The initiative has also had the participation of researchers from the University of Chile and the Open University of Recoleta.

During the month of December 2022, a group of eleven high school students from the Liceo Paula Jaraquemada in Recoleta carried out three in-person workshops, during which they took photographs and recorded their experiences during the pandemic, with the accompaniment of researchers. Most of the participants identified as women and the rest as non-binary people. The results of those sessions have now been presented in video and photobook format.

The study is part of an international project on the impact of the pandemic, coordinated by IDIAPJGol and with the participation of research centres from Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico.

The research will continue soon in Catalonia, with the holding of three photovoice workshops. This is the project “Mental health in adolescents and young people in Catalonia from a gender perspective: participatory population and quality study”, which is financed by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS).