Identity politics and mental health: can music make a difference?
This research will consider how music might influence the association or rejection of negative stereotypes, prejudices or biases (stigma) associated with people with mental illness.
Participants in this study will share thoughts and attitudes through surveys and engaging audio-visual materials.
Participants can go into a draw for a $50 voucher. The survey is anonymous. Ethics approval attached.
Take survey: https://surveyswesternsydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4GCvnflIApawN4q
Background
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has published evidence indicating that approximately one in every two hundred Australians will experience a psychotic or severe mental illness (SMI) over the lifespan. People with SMI will live on average 10 and 32 years less than the general population. Antipsychotics and preventable physical health issues contribute to around 80% of this higher mortality rate. High levels of self, public and institutional stigma result in lower levels of help seeking by people with severe mental illness (Henderson et al, 2013).
Stigma has a significant effect on life quality as well as life longevity. Many people with SMI feel unaccepted and unsupported by family and friends, making it more likely for them to conceal their mental health status to avoid stigma or discrimination (Cechnicki et al., 2011; Thornicroft et al., 2009).
Decreasing institutional, public and self-stigma are vital to improving mental and physical health outcomes. This research will use a behavioural psychology approach to assess whether music can potentially alter negative attitudes or bias towards people with SMI held by study participants. Lab-based experiments will explore whether different variables such as “liked” music, empathic music, narrative, levels of trait empathy and rigidity of group identity play a role in reducing, or affirming, negative attitudes or bias held by participants towards people with SMI. The research will consider the role music can play in encouraging empathy between people with and without SMI. It will also consider how music might influence the association or rejection of negative stereotypes, prejudices or biases (stigma) associated with the group “people with SMI”.
The research will explore whether potentially negative attitudes or bias in a representative sample of 50 Australians can be manipulated using music and associative pairings.
For more information please contact:
Esther Pavel-Wood
E:e.pavel-wood@westernsydney.edu.au
