Araújo Liliana S, Wasley David, Perkins Rosie, Atkins Louise, Redding Emma, Ginsborg Jane, Williamon Aaron
Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom.
Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2017 Oct 10;8:1558. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01558. eCollection 2017.
Making music at the highest international standards can be rewarding, but it is also challenging, with research highlighting pernicious ways in which practicing and performing can affect performers' health and wellbeing. Several studies indicate that music students' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health and healthy living are less than optimal, especially considering the multiple physical and psychological demands of their day-to-day work. This article presents the results of a comprehensive screening protocol that investigated lifestyle and health-related attitudes and behaviors among 483 undergraduate and postgraduate students (mean age = 21.29 years ± 3.64; 59% women) from ten conservatoires. The protocol included questionnaires measuring wellbeing, general health, health-promoting behaviors, perfectionism, coping, sleep quality, and fatigue. On each measure, the data were compared with existing published data from similar age groups. The results indicate that music students have higher levels of wellbeing and lower fatigue than comparable samples outside of music. However, they also reveal potentially harmful perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health. Specifically, engagement in health responsibility and stress management was low, which along with high perfectionistic strivings, limited use of coping strategies, poor sleep quality, and low self-rated health, paints a troubling picture both for the music students and for those who support their training. The findings point to the need for more (and more effective) health education and promotion initiatives within music education; in particular, musicians should be better equipped with mental skills to cope with constant pressure to excel and high stress levels. In part, this calls for musicians themselves to engage in healthier lifestyles, take greater responsibility for their own health, and be aware of and act upon health information in order to achieve and sustain successful practice and performance. For that to happen, however, music educators, administrators, and policy makers must play an active role in providing supportive environments where health and wellbeing is considered integral to expert music training.
以最高国际水准创作音乐是有回报的，但也具有挑战性，研究凸显了练习和表演可能影响表演者身心健康的有害方式。多项研究表明，音乐专业学生对健康及健康生活的认知、态度和行为并不理想，尤其是考虑到他们日常学习的多重身心需求。本文呈现了一项全面筛查方案的结果，该方案调查了来自十所音乐学院的483名本科生和研究生（平均年龄 = 21.29岁 ± 3.64；59%为女性）的生活方式以及与健康相关的态度和行为。该方案包括测量幸福感、总体健康状况、促进健康行为、完美主义、应对方式、睡眠质量和疲劳程度的问卷。在每项测量中，将数据与来自相似年龄组的已发表现有数据进行比较。结果表明，与音乐专业以外的可比样本相比，音乐专业学生的幸福感更高，疲劳程度更低。然而，研究结果也揭示了他们对健康存在潜在有害的认知、态度和行为。具体而言，在健康责任和压力管理方面的参与度较低，再加上强烈的完美主义追求、应对策略使用有限、睡眠质量差以及自我评定健康状况不佳，这为音乐专业学生以及支持他们训练的人描绘了一幅令人担忧的图景。研究结果表明，音乐教育领域需要更多（且更有效的）健康教育和促进举措；特别是，音乐家应更好地具备应对持续追求卓越的压力和高压力水平的心理技能。部分而言，这要求音乐家自身养成更健康的生活方式，对自身健康承担更大责任，并了解健康信息并据此行动，以实现并维持成功的练习和表演。然而，要实现这一点，音乐教育工作者、管理人员和政策制定者必须发挥积极作用，提供支持性环境，将身心健康视为专业音乐训练不可或缺的一部分。
