Work

Understanding links between race/ethnicity and health: Does participation in the musical arts matter?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: = 2,157) of the Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS) Refresher study who completed a self-administered questionnaire about the arts in 2021-22 (63.5% response rate). Assessments included various forms of active music engagement as well as receptive music appreciation. Overall, Black participants were more engaged in varieties of music and performance (singing, dancing, creating) than White participants. Black participants also consumed (appreciated) more jazz, salsa, theatre, dance than White participants. Hispanic participants showed generally similar patterns of music appreciation as Black participants. Mediation analyses showed that the higher active music engagement of Black compared to White individuals was linked with better mental and physical health. Higher receptive music appreciation was not a mediator of race differences in mental and physical health and there was no support for moderation effects. Overall, the findings draw attention to race/ethnicity in considering how participation in the musical arts matter for health and underscore the need for more diverse measures of arts participation, along with quality assessments of mental and physical health tracked longitudinally.

Source: Psychology of Aesthetics Creativity and the Arts

DOI: 10.1037/aca0000805

Authors: Carol D. Ryff, Seung Eun Cha, Adam William Baker, Jieun Song

Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Language: English

Topic: Art Therapy and Mental Health

Subfield: Conservation

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Institute on Aging