EPP336 - The Impact of Musical Engagement on Mental Health: A Comparison Between Amateur Musicians, Professional Musicians, and Non-musicians
EPP336
The Impact of Musical Engagement on Mental Health: A Comparison Between Amateur Musicians, Professional Musicians, and Non-musicians
I. Ekmekci 1,*, M. H. Aksu 1, B. Coşar 1
1Gazi University, Ankara, Türkiye
Introduction: The concept of “musicians’ health” has emerged as a specific field of study (Bonde et al. 2018). Amateur engagement with music or music listening has been repeatedly associated with beneficial effects on both physical and mental health (Theorell & Kreutz 2012).
Objectives: This study aimed to compare depression, anxiety, stress, somatization, and somatic symptom amplification levels among professional musicians, amateur musicians, and individuals with no involvement in music, in order to clarify whether different types of musical engagement influence mental health outcomes.
Methods: This descriptive study included three groups: (1) professional musicians whose occupation and livelihood depend on music, (2) amateur musicians engaged in music as a hobby, and (3) individuals who had never practiced music either professionally or as a hobby. Participants were recruited via online survey links. After informed consent, they completed a sociodemographic form, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), the Somatosensory Amplification Scale( SSAS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests.
Results: Sociodemographic characteristics are summarized in Table 1. As shown in Table 2, there were significant differences among groups in DASS-21 depression, anxiety, stress, SSAS, and PHQ-15 scores. Professional musicians had the highest mean scores across all measures
Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics of participants
Variables |
Amateur musicians (n=236) |
Professional musicians (n=100) |
Non-musicians (n=88) |
|
Gender (F/M) |
122 (52%) / 114 (48%) |
32 (32%) / 68 (68%) |
49 (56%) / 39 (44%) |
|
Smoking |
59 (25%) |
31 (31%) |
17 (19%) |
|
Alcohol use |
77 (32%) |
36 (36%) |
38 (57%) |
|
Substance use |
1 (0%) |
2 (2%) |
1 (1%) |
|
Age (mean±SD) |
47.57±14.35 |
42.06±15.26 |
46.51±12.68 |
|
Education (yrs) |
16.84±3.53 |
16.45±3.79 |
18.15±3.02 |
Table 2. Comparison of psychological measures between groups
Scale / Subscale |
Amateur musicians |
Professional musicians |
Non-musicians |
F |
p |
Post-hoc (Bonferroni) |
|
PHQ-15 (somatization) |
7.00±4.90 |
9.15±5.78 |
6.94±4.72 |
6.88 |
0.001 |
1–2 (p=0.001); 2–3 (p=0.009) |
|
SSAS (Somatosensory Amplification) |
23.43±6.68 |
26.03±7.03 |
24.01±6.85 |
5.78 |
0.003 |
1–2 (p=0.016); 2–3 (p=0.004) |
|
DASS-21 Depression |
4.82±3.77 |
6.34±4.47 |
4.88±3.80 |
5.50 |
0.004 |
1–2 (p=0.004) |
|
DASS-21 Anxiety |
2.97±2.64 |
4.79±3.64 |
3.22±2.89 |
13.49 |
<.001 |
1–2 (p<0.001); 2–3 (p=0.001) |
|
DASS-21 Stress |
5.50±3.41 |
6.86±4.10 |
5.48±3.50 |
5.40 |
0.005 |
1–2 (p=0.005) |
Conclusions: Professional musicians demonstrated significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, somatization, and somatosensory amplification compared with both amateur musicians and non-musicians. Elevated somatization in this group is noteworthy and may be linked to comorbid stress, anxiety, and depression. Professional musicians may therefore represent a population at risk for psychosomatic conditions, highlighting the need for targeted preventive and therapeutic approaches.
Disclosure of Interest: None Declared