Promoting the Wellbeing of Youth with Disabilities through Music Mentoring

Abstract

Youth with disabilities have a higher risk of experiencing mental health problems than their non-disabled peers. In part, this results from their social exclusion and dearth of social networks. An intervention informed by positive psychology principles and peer mentoring approaches was developed and evaluated with 12 youths with disabilities who had musical interests and talents as musicians. It included the real-world experience of applying the training in a school-based music project with over 200 typically developing pupils aged nine years in four schools. Evaluation data were obtained from project staff, self-ratings by the mentors and through group interviews with them, as well as from reactions of school pupils and interviews with six teachers. The study confirmed the benefit of music and peer mentoring as a means of promoting the self-esteem and self-confidence of youth with disabilities. Further research is needed to determine the longer-term mental health benefits musically based interventions can offer to youth with disabilities and, more generally, to young children in schools.