Visual Narratives of Resilience: Caribbean Families’ Coping Before and Since COVID-19

This study examines how Caribbean families visually represented resilience and emotional coping before and after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. Using an arts-based research methodology, 25 English-speaking families created visual artworks depicting their strategies for managing stress across these two periods. Visual and thematic analyses identified four central themes of resilience: emotional expression, shifting family dynamics, wellness practices, and enduring cultural traditions. While spiritual and familial values remained foundational over time, the pandemic prompted new forms of emotional expression, as well as greater reliance on nature-based healing practices. These findings highlight resilience as a dynamic, relational, and culturally embedded process of creative adaptation. By integrating creative methodologies with family resilience theory and multisystemic resilience frameworks, this study advances understanding of non-verbal, culturally relevant forms of coping in underrepresented contexts. The use of visual storytelling further demonstrates its potential as both a methodological tool for capturing emotional complexity and a practical resource for fostering intergenerational dialogue and family well-being.