Development and validation of the Healthy-Unhealthy Music Scale.

Background Music is an integral part of life in youth, and although it has been acknowledged that musical behavior reflects broader psychosocial aspects of adolescent behavior, no measurement instruments have been specifically designed for assessing musical engagement as an indicator of adolescent wellbeing and/or symptomatology. This study was conducted in order to develop and validate a scale for assessing musical engagement as an indicator of proneness for depression in youth. Method Items were developed based on the literature and a prior grounded theory analysis and three surveys (N = 54, N = 187, N = 211) were conducted to select, refine, test, and validate the items. Scale structure …

Depending on music to feel better: Being conscious of responsibility when appropriating the power of music

Abstract This study explores the beliefs held by young people about the power of music to help them feel better during challenging times. Participants included 40 young Australians, aged 13–20, who described their relationship with music and were progressively asked to recall times where music had not been helpful as well as when the consequences of engaging in music had been beneficial. Grounded theory analysis generated a theoretical explanation of why young people's beliefs about the positive consequences of music are so strong, even though the experience of young people with mental health problems sometimes contradicts these views. Implications for professionals are offered; with a part…

Mining Mental States using Music Associations

Group Music Therapy as a Preventive Intervention for Young People at Risk : Cluster-Randomized Trial

Background Music forms an important part of the lives and identities of adolescents and may have positive or negative mental health implications. Music therapy can be effective for mental disorders such as depression, but its preventive potential is unknown. Objective The aim of this study was to examine whether group music therapy (GMT) is an effective intervention for young people who may be at risk of developing mental health problems, as indicated via unhealthy music use. The main question was whether GMT can reduce unhealthy uses of music and increase potentials for healthy uses of music, compared to self-directed music listening (SDML). We were also interested in effects of GMT on dep…

A Critical Interpretive Synthesis of the Literature Linking Music and Adolescent Mental Health

There is a diverse literature that explores the relationship between youth, music, and mental health, with few attempts at systematic synthesis. This critical interpretive review included 33 studies published between 2000 and 2012 investigating the relationship between music and the mental health of young people, particularly targeting depression. An iterative methodology was used involving several layers of inductive analysis with the intention of generating an organizing framework that critically synthesized the available literature. The organizing framework highlights that decisions related to research design, assessment of health, and the nature of musical engagement have predictably i…