Confidence, social connectedness and stress reduction are some of the benefits of joining a choir for those with chronic mental illness, a research study has found.
Lead author, Genevieve A. Dingle of the University of Queensland said, “The choir study showed that people with mental health problems who engaged in a regular meaningful group activity (choir rehearsals), in which they were given a place to sit and a part to sing, found starting conversations and building social connections with other choir members easier.”
Since this study, Dingle has further researched the social identity theory with homeless people, people with depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse and other mental health disorders.
“An example of this comes from my study of people in residential rehabilitation from drug and alcohol dependence. Those residents who continued to maintain strong ties with their drug using social networks were more at risk of dropping out of treatment and of having poor substance use and well-being outcomes at follow up.”
Find the article here
Genevieve A. Dingle’s publications, including the choir study, are listed here (please note: they are only available on a paid website.)
If you’re interested in the impact of choirs/choruses, click here for The Chorus Impact Study (2009)