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Becher H, Krist L, Menzel J, Fernholz I, Keil T, Kreutz G, Schmidt A, Streit F, Willich SN, Weikert C. Music-Making and Depression and Anxiety Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic-Results From the NAKO Cohort Study in Germany. Int J Public Health 2024; 69:1606993. [PMID: 38978833 PMCID: PMC11228560 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1606993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives To investigate the association of musical activity with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A total of 3,666 participants reported their musical activity before and mental health indicators before and during the pandemic. Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire, anxiety with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. The association between mental health scores and musical activities was investigated using linear regression. Results Within the last 12 months, 22.1% of the participants reported musical activity (15.1% singing, 14.5% playing an instrument). Individuals with frequent singing as their main musical activity had higher scores before the pandemic than non-musicians and the worsening during the pandemic was more pronounced compared to non-musicians. Instrumentalists tended to have slightly lower scores than non-musicians indicating a possible beneficial effect of playing an instrument on mental health. Conclusion The pandemic led to a worsening of mental health, with singers being particularly affected. Singers showed poorer mental health before the pandemic. The tendency for instrumentalists to report lower depression scores compared to non-musicians may support the hypothesis that music-making has a beneficial effect on health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko Becher
- Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Lilian Krist
- Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Juliane Menzel
- Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Food Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Fernholz
- Clinic for Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Keil
- Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL), Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Gunter Kreutz
- Department of Music, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Alexander Schmidt
- Clinic for Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stefan N Willich
- Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cornelia Weikert
- Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Food Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
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Finn S, Wright LHV, Mak HW, Åström E, Nicholls L, Dingle GA, Warran K. Expanding the social cure: a mixed-methods approach exploring the role of online group dance as support for young people (aged 16-24) living with anxiety. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1258967. [PMID: 37915522 PMCID: PMC10616254 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1258967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an increased interest in whether online arts interventions support mental health and social connections. This study explored eight weeks of online group dance as support for young people (aged 16-24) living with anxiety. The applicability of the 'social cure' theoretical framework to the novel context of an online dance class was sought. The study utilised an embedded QUAL+quan design, incorporating participatory focus group discussions (n = 3 groups; n = 11 participants) and one-on-one interviews (n = 2 participants), creative reflections (n = 16 participants) and ethnographic fieldnotes, and a repeated measures design with surveys at three timepoints (week 1, n = 27; week 4, n = 18; week 8, n = 14). Thematic analysis identified two overarching themes demonstrating how the dance classes (i) provided the opportunity to co-construct a meaningful shared identity and (ii) supported holistic wellbeing. The quantitative findings supported this, suggesting lower anxiety, depression, and loneliness and higher wellbeing, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and group closeness. This study expands the social cure to its application to an online dance context for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saoirse Finn
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health, Social Biobehavioural Research Group, Department of Behavioural Science & Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laura H. V. Wright
- Childhood and Youth Studies Research Group, Institute for Community, Education, and Society, Moray House School of Education and Sport, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Hei Wan Mak
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health, Social Biobehavioural Research Group, Department of Behavioural Science & Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emili Åström
- Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Nicholls
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health, Social Biobehavioural Research Group, Department of Behavioural Science & Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Genevieve A. Dingle
- Music, Dance and Health Research Group, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Katey Warran
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health, Social Biobehavioural Research Group, Department of Behavioural Science & Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Calderón Alfaro FA, Li YM, Okely J. Symptoms of depression and anxiety in young people in El Salvador: Associations with peer and family relationships, artistic activities and health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Affect Disord 2023; 339:838-846. [PMID: 37481127 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known regarding the correlates of mental health, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in lower income countries. Using data from almost the entire population of graduating high school students in El Salvador, we examine the associations between depression and anxiety symptoms and potentially protective factors including peer and family relationships, health behaviours and artistic leisure activities. METHODS Data comes from the AVANZO survey conducted in El Salvador with 42,314 graduating high school students aged 15-21 in November 2020. Participants completed the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale and Socioemotional Skills Scale. Using a structural equation modelling framework, we tested the associations between these variables and whether these associations varied by sex. RESULTS Participants who experienced more positive family relationships reported fewer symptoms of depression (β = -0.304, p < .001) and anxiety (β = -0.103, p < .001). Similar results were found between health behaviours and symptoms of depression (β = -0.398, p < .001), and anxiety (β = -0.312, p < .001). Peer relationships were non-significantly associated with depression and anxiety symptoms. Associations were similar for boys and girls. LIMITATIONS Students undertook the mental health survey as part of an academic test, which might have increased mental stress. The Socioemotional Skills Scales is newly developed, and results are cross-sectional. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide insight into the experiences of an understudied population during the pandemic and identify positive family relationships and health behaviours as important correlates of mental health during this time.
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Bone JK, Fancourt D, Sonke JK, Fluharty ME, Cohen R, Lee JB, Kolenic AJ, Radunovich H, Bu F. Creative leisure activities, mental health and well-being during 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic: a fixed effects analysis of data from 3725 US adults. J Epidemiol Community Health 2023; 77:293-297. [PMID: 36849241 PMCID: PMC10086468 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2022-219653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We investigated whether changes in engagement in home-based creative activities were associated with changes in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to replicate findings from the UK in a USA sample. METHODS 3725 adults were included from the COVID-19 Social Study in the USA, a panel study collecting data weekly during the COVID-19 pandemic. We measured engagement in eight types of creative leisure activities on the previous weekday between April and September 2020. Data were analysed using fixed effects regression models. RESULTS Increased time spent gardening was associated with reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms and enhanced life satisfaction. Spending more time doing woodwork/DIY and arts/crafts were also associated with enhanced life satisfaction. However, more time watching television, films or other similar media (not for information on COVID-19) was associated with increased depressive symptoms. Other creative activities were not associated with mental health or well-being. CONCLUSION Some findings differ from evidence obtained in the UK, demonstrating the importance of replicating research across countries. Our findings should also be considered when formulating guidelines for future stay-at-home directives, enabling individuals to stay well despite the closure of public resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica K Bone
- Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daisy Fancourt
- Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jill K Sonke
- Center for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Meg E Fluharty
- Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, University College London, London, UK
| | - Randy Cohen
- Americans for the Arts, Washington DC, Washington, USA
| | - Jenny B Lee
- Center for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Anthony J Kolenic
- Center for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Heidi Radunovich
- Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Feifei Bu
- Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, University College London, London, UK
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Gabarrell-Pascuet A, García-Mieres H, Giné-Vázquez I, Moneta MV, Koyanagi A, Haro JM, Domènech-Abella J. The Association of Social Support and Loneliness with Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:2765. [PMID: 36833463 PMCID: PMC9957328 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20042765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research suggests that changes in social support and loneliness have affected mental disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are a lack of studies comparing the robustness of these associations. AIMS The aims were to estimate the strength of the associations of loneliness and social support with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022) in the general population. METHOD The method entailed a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of quantitative studies. RESULTS Seventy-three studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled correlations of the effect size of the association of loneliness with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress were 0.49, 0.40, and 0.38, respectively. The corresponding figures for social support were 0.29, 0.19, and 0.18, respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed that the strength of some associations could be influenced by the sociodemographic characteristics of the study samples, such as age, gender, region, and COVID-19 stringency index, and by methodological moderators, such as sample size, collection date, methodological quality, and the measurement scales. CONCLUSIONS Social support had a weak association with mental disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic while the association with loneliness was moderate. Strategies to address loneliness could be highly effective in reducing the impact of the pandemic on social relationships and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina Gabarrell-Pascuet
- Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Helena García-Mieres
- Health Services Research Unit, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Iago Giné-Vázquez
- Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Victoria Moneta
- Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ai Koyanagi
- Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Maria Haro
- Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Domènech-Abella
- Epidemiology of Mental Health Disorders and Ageing Research Group, Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Research, Teaching, and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Kiernan F, Davidson JW. How Can Music Engagement Address Loneliness? A Qualitative Study and Thematic Framework in the Context of Australia's COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 20:25. [PMID: 36612347 PMCID: PMC9819799 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Social isolation and loneliness are serious public health concerns. Music engagement can strengthen social connections and reduce loneliness in some contexts, although how this occurs is not well understood; research suggests that music's capacity to manipulate perceptions of time and space is relevant. This study adopted a qualitative perspective to examine how music engagement shaped the experiences of residents of Victoria, Australia, during conditions of restricted social contact during the lockdowns of 2020. Semi-structured interviews explored participants' lived musical experiences while giving focus to perceptions of time and space (e.g., how music helped restructure home and workspaces in response to lockdown regulations, or punctuate time where older routines were no longer viable). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the interview transcripts identified five themes representing the key findings: (1) a super-ordinate theme of perceived control, which comprises four themes: (2) dynamic connection; (3) identity; (4) mobility; (5) presence. Each theme describes one generalised aspect of the way music engagement shaped participants' perceptions of time and space during lockdown and supported their processes of adaptation to and coping with increased social isolation. The authors argue that these findings may inform the way music can be used to address loneliness in everyday life.
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Chmiel A, Kiernan F, Garrido S, Lensen S, Hickey M, Davidson JW. Creativity in lockdown: Understanding how music and the arts supported mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic by age group. Front Psychol 2022; 13:993259. [PMID: 36275233 PMCID: PMC9583145 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.993259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research has indicated that many people around the world turned to artistic creative activities (ACAs) to support their mental health during COVID-19 lockdowns. However, studies have also shown that the negative psychosocial impacts of the pandemic have disproportionately affected young people, suggesting that the use of ACAs to support mental health in lockdown may have varied across age groups. This study investigated how Australians in four different age groups (18–24, 25–34, 35–54, and 55+) engaged in ACAs to support their mental health during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Participants (N = 653) recruited from the general public completed an online survey between May and October 2020, in which they reported which ACAs they had undertaken during the pandemic using an established list. Participants subsequently ranked undertaken ACAs in terms of effectiveness at making them “feel better,” and those who had engaged in musical ACAs also completed the Musical Engagement Questionnaire (MusEQ). Additionally, ratings of anxiety (GAD7) and depression (PHQ9) symptoms were obtained and examined for potential variations across four diverse variables: age, exercise, gender and state/territory of residence. ACA rankings showed that younger participants overwhelmingly rated musical activities as most effective, while, with the exception of singing, those aged 55+ rated non-musical activities as being most effective. These differences were further supported by ratings for all six MusEQ subscales, with responses strongly indicating that the youngest participants (aged 18–24) used music in significantly different ways during the pandemic than participants in all other age groups. Specifically, these youngest participants were more likely to integrate music into daily life, use music for emotion regulation, respond to music in embodied ways, and use music to perform a social identity. In line with prior research, further analyses indicated that symptoms of anxiety and depression were lessened for older participants, as well for those who reported exercising more during the lockdowns. These findings provide insight into how ACAs can support mental health during a pandemic crisis for specific age groups, which may inform future policy directions, and suggestions for how this can be done are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Chmiel
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Creativity and Wellbeing Hallmark Research Initiative (CAWRI), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Anthony Chmiel,
| | - Frederic Kiernan
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sandra Garrido
- Creativity and Wellbeing Hallmark Research Initiative (CAWRI), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Lensen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Martha Hickey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jane W. Davidson
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Creativity and Wellbeing Hallmark Research Initiative (CAWRI), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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