Facing power: navigating power dynamics in a youth participatory action research project situated within a healthcare setting

ABSTRACT

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is oftentimes cited as a method guided by social justice principles to uplift youth voice and pursue youth priorities in research. However, to uphold these principles, YPAR researchers must address how youth and adults alike negotiate power differentials to be equal partners in research and scholarship. We explore YPAR power sharing through a reflexive thematic analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 42) and focus groups (n = 2) conducted at three timepoints (baseline, mid-point, and exit) with youth (n = 8) and adult (n = 6) researchers engaged in a YPAR exploring health equity at a large, safety-net hospital. Our analyses suggest that both youth and adult researchers negotiate power dynamics in a YPAR at every stage of the project. YPAR researchers made four recommendations to negotiate power: 1) preserve time for relationship building, 2) structure group expectations, 3) require training for adults working with youth of color, and 4) designate youth-only spaces. This study provides an in-depth analysis of youth and adult reflections on power across a YPAR project. Our findings indicate that YPAR requires significant investment in resources, including time to reflect on and process power, transparent and structured expectations, and ongoing training to uphold principles of YPAR.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth participatory action research
• power

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the members of the Boston Medical Center Youth Advisory Board, without whom this project would not be possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [AY], upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Boston University Clinical & Transitional Science Institute, under Grant 1UL1TR001430.