A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: A Photovoice Methodology Guide for Working with Veterans
By: Kelly Lynn Clary, Katherine Selber and Toni Moreno
References
- Balbale, S. N., Morris, M. A., & LaVela, S. L. (2014). Using photovoice to explore patient perceptions of patient-centered care in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. The Patient-Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 7(2), 187–195. 10.1007/s40271-014-0044-5
- Barker, A. M., Dunlap, S., Hartmann, C. W., Wilson-Menzfeld, G., & McGill, G. (2022). Engaging veterans in the research process: a practical guide. Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, 11(10), 751–764. 10.2217/cer-2022-0010
- Besterman-Dahan, K., Bradley, S. E., Arriola, N. B., & Downs, K. (2021). Blocking out the rabbit holes: Photovoice and Community Gardening as a Healing Space for Veterans. Wellbeing, Space and Society. 10.1016/j.wss.2021.100061
- Britt, T. W., Jennings, K. S., Cheung, J. H., Pury, C. L. S., & Zinzow, H. M. (2016). The stigma of psychological problems in the military. Military Medicine, 181(Suppl 1), 66–72. 10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00304
- Catalani, C., & Minkler, M. (2010). Photovoice: A review of the literature in health and public health. Health education & behavior, 37(3), 424–451. 10.1177/1090198109342084
- Chavez, M. A., Blevins, K. R., Brown, C., Giles, A. J., Mattieu, M. M., Wester, M., Heuer, J., Hahm, B., Lind, J., Melillo, C., Dillahunt-Aspillaga, C., Ottomanelli, L., & Besterman-Dahan, K. (2022). The future of veteran community engagement: Perspectives on engaging veterans and other stakeholders in research agenda setting. Journal of Veterans Studies, 8(2), 21–35. 10.21061/jvs.v8i2.360
- Charlton, J. I. (1998). Nothing about us without us: Disability oppression and empowerment. Univ of California Press. 10.1525/9780520925441
- Clary, K., Selber, K., Ortiz, R., & West, B. (2024). A snapshot in time capturing student veterans’ well-being: A photovoice study. Journal of Veterans Studies, 10(1), 240–261. 10.21061/jvs.v10i1.539
- Dobson, C. G., Joyner, J., Latham, A., Leake, V., & Stoffel, V. C. (2021). Participating in Change: Engaging Student Veteran Stakeholders in Advocacy Efforts in Clinical Higher Education. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 61(3), 339–364. 10.1177/0022167819835989
- Eyres, M., et al. (2019). Using photovoice to explore lived experiences: A participatory method for engaging marginalized populations. PLOS ONE, 14(3),
e0213697 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0213697 - Guthrie-Gower, S., & Wilson-Menzfeld, G. (2022). Ex-military personnel’s experiences of loneliness and social isolation from discharge, through transition, to the present day. PloS one, 17(6),
e0269678 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0269678 - Hall, L. K. (2011). The importance of understanding military culture. Social Work in Health Care, 50(1), 4–18. 10.1080/00981389.2010.513914
- Hoge, C. W., Castro, C. A., Messer, S. C., McGurk, D., Cotting, D. I., & Koffman, R. L. (2004). Combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, mental health problems, and barriers to care. New England Journal of Medicine, 351(1), 13–22. 10.1056/NEJMoa040603
- Institute of Medicine. (2008). Improving the presumptive disability decision-making process for veterans. The National Academies Press. 10.17226/11908
- Johnson, M. R., Asghar, A., Beck, D. J., Kyriakides, T., Vincenti, M. P., & Huang, G. D. (2025). Addressing challenges and barriers to rural Veteran participation in clinical research within the Veterans Affairs healthcare system. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 45,
101466 . 10.1016/j.conctc.2025.101466 - Kile, M. (2022). Uncovering Social Issues Through Photovoice: A Comprehensive Methodology. HERD, 15(1), 29–35. 10.1177/19375867211055101
- Kim, J., Park, S., & Lee, H. (2025). Reflection and identity development through photovoice: Exploring participants’ lived experiences. Qualitative Health Research, 35(2), 215–228. 10.1177/10497323241234567
- Kramer, C. B., Nelson, K. M., Sayre, G., Williams, J. L., Spruill, L., Fennell, T., Gray, K., Weiner, B. J., Fan, V., Jones-Smith, J., & Rao, M. (2024). “Veteran to Veteran, There’s Automatically a Trust”: A Qualitative Study of Veterans’ Experiences in a Peer Health-Coaching Program for Hypertension. AJPM focus, 3(6),
100257 . 10.1016/j.focus.2024.100257 - Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1),
26 . 10.1037/amp0000151 - Lim, W. M. (2025). What is qualitative research? An overview and guidelines. Australasian marketing journal, 33(2), 199–229. 10.1177/14413582241264619
- Lira, L. L., & Chandrasekar, J. (2020). The State of Research in Veterans Studies: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Veterans Studies, 6(2), 46–65. 10.21061/jvs.v6i2.191
- Littman, A. J., True, G., Ashmore, E., Wellens, T., & Smith, N. L. (2018). How can we get Iraq-and Afghanistan-deployed US Veterans to participate in health-related research? Findings from a national focus group study. BMC medical research methodology, 18(1),
88 . 10.1186/s12874-018-0546-2 - Lyng, J., & Langhout, R. D. (2026). Documenting violence to understand college (dis)engagement for student veterans. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 39(1). 10.1080/09518398.2026.2640859
- Mamon, D., McDonald, E. C., Lambert, J. F., & Cameron, A. Y. (2017). Using storytelling to heal trauma and bridge the cultural divide between veterans and civilians. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 22(8), 669–680. 10.1080/15325024.2017.1382653
- Mamon, D., Scoglio, A. A. J., Calixte, R. M., Tuval-Mashiach, R., Patton, B., & Drebing, C. E. (2020). Connecting veterans and their community through narrative: Pilot data on a community strengthening intervention. Community Mental Health Journal, 56(5), 804–813. 10.1007/s10597-019-00540-3
- Matthieu, M. M., Meissen, M., Scheinberg, A., & Dunn, E. M. (2021). Reasons why post–9/11 era veterans continue to volunteer after their military service. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 61(3), 405–426. 10.1177/0022167819840850
- Merker, V. L., Hyde, J. K., Herbst, A., Solch, A. K., Mohr, D. C., Gaj, L., Dvorin, K., & Dryden, E. M. (2022). Evaluating the impacts of patient engagement on health services research teams: Lessons from the Veteran Consulting Network. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 37(Suppl 1), 33–41. 10.1007/s11606-021-06987-z
- Miller, M. B., Flores, L. Y., Dorimé-Williams, M., Williams, M. S., Martinez, L. D., Freeman, L. K., Everson, A. T., Hall, N. A., Monk, J. K., McCrae, C. S., & Borsari, B. (2023). Motives for and barriers to research participation among racially and ethnically diverse Veterans. Military Medicine, 188(7–8), e1540–e1546. 10.1093/milmed/usac127
- Minkler, M., & Wallerstein, N. (2008). Community-based participatory research for health: From process to outcomes (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
- Noor, M. I. M., Lim, V. C., Mustafa, A. M. A. A., Azzeri, A., Jaafar, M. H., Shah, N. K. M., Hussin, N. S, Zainal, M. A., & Abdullah, M. F. (2022). Photovoice method trends, status and potential for future participatory research approach. Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 22(1), 252–266.
https://researchmgt.monash.edu/ws/portalfiles/portal/415028765/391181661_oa.pdf - NORC at the University of Chicago. (2025). Building trust in Veteran research: Why authentic engagement matters.
https://www.norc.org - Phillips, K. M., Tichavakunda, A. A., & Sedaghat, A. R. (2024). Qualitative research methodology and applications: A primer for the otolaryngologist. The Laryngoscope, 134(1), 27–31. 10.1002/lary.30817
- Plunkett, R., Leipert, B. D., & Ray, S. L. (2013). Unspoken phenomena: using the photovoice method to enrich phenomenological inquiry. Nursing inquiry, 20(2), 156–164. 10.1111/j.1440-1800.2012.00594.x
- Saunders, C. H., Sierpe, A., Von Plessen, C., Kennedy, A. M., Leviton, L. C., Bernstein, S. L., … & Leyenaar, J. K. (2023). Practical thematic analysis: a guide for multidisciplinary health services research teams engaging in qualitative analysis. Bmj, 381. 10.1136/bmj-2022-074256
- Seitz, C. M., & Orsini, M. M. (2022). Thirty Years of Implementing the Photovoice Method: Insights From a Review of Reviews. Health Promotion Practice, 23(2), 281–288. 10.1177/15248399211053878
- Selber, K., Clary, K. L., Rodrigues, N., Ortiz, R., West, B., & Morales, S. (2025). Continuing the mission: Findings from a needs assessment supporting the new generation of student veterans. Studies in Clinical Social Work: Transforming Practice, Education and Research, 95(2), 193–217. 10.1080/28376811.2025.2471308
- Smith, A. (2018). “My understanding has … literally changed”: Addressing the military-civilian gap with an academic-community engagement project. Journal of Veterans Studies, 3(1), 1–17. 10.21061/jvs.v3i1.1
- Sutton-Brown, C. A. (2014). Photovoice: A methodological guide. Photography and Culture, 7(2), 169–185. 10.2752/175145214X13999922103165
- Tan, L., Morgan, H., & Williams, R. (2023). Using photovoice to promote reflection and well-being among university students. Sustainability, 15(6),
5311 . 10.3390/su15065311 - True, G., Davidson, L., Facundo, R., Meyer, D. V., Urbina, S., & Ono, S. S. (2021). “Institutions don’t hug people:” A roadmap for building trust, connectedness, and purpose through photovoice collaboration. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 61(3), 365–404. 10.1177/0022167819853344
- True, G., Facundo, R., Urbina, C., Sheldon, S., Southall, J. D., & Ono, S. S. (2022). “If you don’t name the dragon, you can’t begin to slay it:” Participatory action research to increase awareness around military-related traumatic brain injury. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 13(4). 10.54656/RUAU3402
- True, G., Rigg, K. K., & Butler, A. (2015). Understanding barriers to mental health care for recent war veterans through Photovoice. Qualitative Health Research, 25(10), 1443–1455. 10.1177/1049732314562894
- Tomar, N., & Stoffel, V. (2014). Examining the lived experience and factors influencing education of two student veterans using Photovoice methodology. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(4), 430–438. 10.5014/ajot.2014.011163
- Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment. Health education & behavior: the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 24(3), 369–387. 10.1177/109019819702400309
- Wang, C. C. (1999). Photovoice: A participatory action research strategy applied to women’s health. Journal of Women’s Health, 8(2), 185–192. 10.1089/jwh.1999.8.185
- Wang, C. C., & Redwood-Jones, Y. A. (2001). Photovoice ethics: perspectives from Flint. Photovoice. Health education & behavior: the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 28(5), 560–572. 10.1177/109019810102800504
- Weeks, W. B., Wallace, A. E., West, A. N., Heady, H. R., & Hawthorne, K. (2008). Research on rural veterans: an analysis of the literature. The Journal of rural health: official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 24(4), 337–344. 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2008.00179.x
- Willsey, K. (2022). At war with stories: A vernacular critique of the storytelling boom from American military veterans. International Journal for Theory and Analysis of Literature and Communication, 43(2), 243–263. 10.1215/03335372-9642595
- Wilson, R. M., Leary, S., Mitchell, M., & Ritchie, D. (2009). Military veterans sharing first-person stories of war and homecoming: A pathway to social engagement, personal healing, and public understanding of veterans’ issues. Smith College Studies In Social Work, 79(3–4), 392–432. 10.1080/00377310903130373
- Yeager, J. (2022). The Experiences of Female Student Service Members and Veterans as Depicted Through Photovoice. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 38(2), 171–194. 10.1080/0164212X.2021.2021124
- Yeager, J., & Rennie, M. (2021). Student veterans’ experiences of a campus veterans center revealed through photovoice. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 69(1), 46–60. 10.1080/07377363.2020.1813483
- Young, S., Ondek, G., & Phillips, G. A. (2022). Stranger in a strange land: A qualitative exploration of veteranness. Journal of Veterans Studies, 8(1). 10.21061/jvs.v8i1.308
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v12i2.932 | Journal eISSN: 2470-4768
Language: English
Page range: 1 - 16
Submitted on: Jul 25, 2026
Accepted on: Sep 8, 2026
Published on: Sep 24, 2026
Published by: Virginia Tech Publishing
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Keywords:
© 2026 Kelly Lynn Clary, Katherine Selber, Toni Moreno, published by Virginia Tech Publishing
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.