The Role of Artistic Creative Activities in Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia.

Frederic Kiernan,Sandra Garrido,Martha Hickey,Jane W Davidson,Anthony Chmiel

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.696202

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic some Australians turned to artistic creative activities (ACAs) as a way of managing their own mental health and well-being. This study examined the role of ACAs in regulating emotion and supporting mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also attempted to identify at-risk populations. We proposed that (1) participants would use ACAs as avoidance-based emotion regulation strategies; and (2) music engagement would be used for emotion regulation. Australian participants (N = 653) recruited from the general public completed an online survey, which included scales targeting anxiety (GAD7 scale), depression (PHQ9 scale) and loneliness (two UCLA Loneliness Scales, referring to “Before” and “Since” COVID-19). Participants reported which ACAs they had undertaken and ceased during the pandemic using an established list and ranked their undertaken ACAs in terms of effectiveness at making them “feel better.” For their top-ranked ACA, participants then completed the Emotion Regulation Scale for Artistic Creative Activities (ERS-ACA), and if participants had undertaken any musical ACAs, also the Musical Engagement Questionnaire (MusEQ). The results supported both hypotheses. ANOVAs indicated that participants ranked significantly higher on the “avoidance” ERS-ACA subscale than the other subscales, and that participants ranked significantly higher on the emotion regulation and musical preference MusEQ subscales than the other subscales. Additionally, while ACAs such as “Watching films or TV shows” and “Cookery or baking” were common, they ranked poorly as effective methods of emotion regulation, whereas “Listening to music” was the second-most frequently undertaken ACA and also the most effective. “Singing” and “Dancing” were among the most ceased ACAs but also ranked among the most effective for emotion regulation, suggesting that support for developing pandemic-safe approaches to these ACAs may provide well-being benefits in future crises. Additionally, correlation analyses showed that younger participants, those who took less exercise during the pandemic, and those with the highest musical engagement reported the poorest well-being. We conclude that ACAs provided an important resource for supporting mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and could potentially support mental health and well-being in future crises.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a substantial global toll on health and well-being
This study examined the role of artistic creative activities (ACAs) in regulating emotion and supporting the mental health and well-being of Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic
Concerning research questions (RQs) 5, the findings showed that anxious and depressed Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be turning to music as a coping mechanism or emotional crutch significantly more than people who were not experiencing these mental health issues, or those who were experiencing these issues to a lesser degree

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a substantial global toll on health and well-being. As of 12 March 2021, over 117 million people had been infected with the virus with over 2.6 million deaths. The creative industries (e.g., film, advertising and fashion, as well as creative occupations such as musicians, dancers, actors, visual artists and designers) have faced immense pressure due to the rapid spread of the virus and physical distancing restrictions. Losses in these industries between 1 April and 31 July 2020 in the United States alone have been estimated at 2.7 million jobs and more than $150 billion USD in sales of goods and services, with the fine and performing arts industries being hardest hit (Florida and Seman, 2020). The pandemic has caused a great deal of stress and fear, even for those who have not been infected (Pfefferbaum and North, 2020)

Results

Discussion

Conclusion