1451 - A PRACTICAL GUIDELINE FOR CO-CREATING KNOWLEDGE WITH MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKERS USING THE PHOTOVOICE METHOD

Session: D06S030 - Migration and Minority Stress 1
AUTHORS:
Liem Andrian (Universitas Sebela Maret ~ Surakarta ~ Indonesia)
Abstract text:
This paper presents a comprehensive psychological guideline for implementing photovoice methodology with migrant domestic workers (MDWs), grounded in feminist participatory action research and applied psychology principles. The framework addresses critical mental health disparities and psychological vulnerabilities experienced by MDWs, including social isolation, identity challenges, acculturative stress, and limited psychological support systems within host countries. The guideline emerged from extensive applied psychology research conducted across multiple Asian contexts, examining the psychological well-being and coping mechanisms of MDWs through culturally responsive methodologies. Our approach integrates visual storytelling techniques with psychological assessment frameworks, enabling MDWs to articulate their mental health experiences, resilience strategies, and psychosocial needs through collaborative knowledge creation. The methodology encompasses psychological safety protocols, trauma-informed practices, and culturally adapted interview techniques that respect participants' emotional boundaries while facilitating meaningful psychological exploration. Training modules incorporate basic photography skills, narrative therapy principles, and psychoeducational components about mental health literacy. The framework emphasises psychological empowerment, therapeutic benefits of creative expression, and the development of critical consciousness regarding structural factors affecting mental health outcomes. Data collection procedures include photo-elicitation interviews informed by phenomenological psychology, focus groups utilizing group therapy dynamics, and collaborative analysis processes that validate participants' psychological insights. The approach demonstrates significant therapeutic value, promoting emotional processing, identity reconstruction, and collective healing among participants. This guideline offers applied psychologists, researchers, and practitioners evidence-based tools for conducting psychologically informed participatory research with vulnerable populations. It provides practical applications for community psychology interventions, cross-cultural psychological assessment, and policy development addressing migrant mental health. The interdisciplinary framework ensures methodologically rigorous and ethically sound applications across diverse psychological practice contexts globally.