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Group singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: findings from the East Kent "singing for health" network project

Group singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: findings from the East Kent "singing for... Purpose - This paper aims to describe the development and evaluation of an innovative community singing initiative with mental health services users and supporters in East Kent, UK. Design/methodology/approach - A network of seven singing groups was established between September 2009 and June 2010. The choirs met weekly in three terms with breaks for Christmas and Easter, and joined together for two public performances in February and June 2010. In total, 137 participants were involved in the evaluation processes over this period. Of these, 42 provided complete data on the CORE questionnaire, a widely used clinical measure of mental distress, at baseline and eight months later. Findings - Clinically significant improvements were observed in response to the CORE. These changes, together with qualitative feedback from participants, demonstrate that group singing can have substantial benefits in aiding the recovery of people with a history of serious and enduring mental health problems. A limited body of research has also shown that singing can be helpful for people with existing mental and physical health problems. Originality/value - The research finds marked improvements in mental wellbeing on a clinically validated measure for people with a range of enduring mental health issues participating in a network of small choirs. Qualitative evidence indicates that group singing can offer a wide range of emotional and social benefits for mental health service users. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Mental Health and Social Inclusion Pier Professional

Group singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: findings from the East Kent "singing for health" network project

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Publisher
Pier Professional
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by Pier Professional Limited
ISSN
2042-8308
eISSN
2042-8316
DOI
10.1108/20428301111140930
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the development and evaluation of an innovative community singing initiative with mental health services users and supporters in East Kent, UK. Design/methodology/approach - A network of seven singing groups was established between September 2009 and June 2010. The choirs met weekly in three terms with breaks for Christmas and Easter, and joined together for two public performances in February and June 2010. In total, 137 participants were involved in the evaluation processes over this period. Of these, 42 provided complete data on the CORE questionnaire, a widely used clinical measure of mental distress, at baseline and eight months later. Findings - Clinically significant improvements were observed in response to the CORE. These changes, together with qualitative feedback from participants, demonstrate that group singing can have substantial benefits in aiding the recovery of people with a history of serious and enduring mental health problems. A limited body of research has also shown that singing can be helpful for people with existing mental and physical health problems. Originality/value - The research finds marked improvements in mental wellbeing on a clinically validated measure for people with a range of enduring mental health issues participating in a network of small choirs. Qualitative evidence indicates that group singing can offer a wide range of emotional and social benefits for mental health service users.

Journal

Mental Health and Social Inclusion – Pier Professional

Published: Jan 1, 2011

Keywords: Mental illness

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