Understanding the Experience of Mothers of Medically Complex Children through Photojournaling

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe photojournaling as a data collection method in a qualitative case study of stress and coping in parents of chronically ill children. Methods: Participants were asked to submit 1-3 photographs representing their experiences and then discuss submissions as part of semi-structured interviews. Researchers used a thematic analysis process to develop themes. Results: Four mothers participated in this study. They submitted a total of 28 photographs and three videos, far exceeding the requested number of photos. Based on qualitative analysis, mothers of chronically ill children experience both stress and coping related to the advocacy role, respite care, and isolation. Photographs used in the study assisted in providing meaningful examples of participant stress and coping. Conclusion: Photojournaling is an effective mechanism for understanding stress and coping and should be used to develop a deeper understanding of the experience of families. Because smartphone ownership is prevalent and posting pictures onto social media is common, photojournaling is acceptable to participants. Researchers should carefully consider how they will safeguard digital images.