Xian Xuechang, Zhang Xiaoran, Zheng Danhe, Wang Yanlin
Tourism and Historical Culture College, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, China.
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
JMIR Form Res. 2024 Dec 16;8:e46497. doi: 10.2196/46497.
COVID-19 has posed a significant global threat to public health due to its high contagion risk and lack of effective treatment. While quarantine measures have been crucial in controlling the virus' spread, they have also contributed to negative impacts on individuals' mental health. Music listening has emerged as a potential coping mechanism, yet it remains unclear whether mental well-being varies across music preferences.
This study examined individuals' music-listening preferences in the context of COVID-19 quarantine and assessed the mediation pathways linking 5 types of music to mental health levels, mediated by perceived social connectedness as well as sense of security.
A web-based survey was conducted among people with quarantine experience in September 2022, in mainland China. A total of 712 valid questionnaires were returned and 596 samples were finally included in our study for mediation analysis.
The results revealed that the vast majority (596/623, 96%) of respondents had music-listening experiences during the COVID-19 quarantine, with pop music emerging as the most popular preference among respondents, while quyi was the least listened-to genre. Additionally, listening to music across 5 different genres appeared as a significant parameter indirectly linked to mental health through perceived social connectedness. Specifically, engaging with quyi was associated with higher levels of perceived social connectedness and sense of security, which in turn correlated with improved mental well-being. Conversely, individuals listening to jazz reported lower social connectedness and sense of security, which was subsequently linked to increased mental health problems. The potential reasons for these findings and implications are discussed.
This study significantly contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms behind music-listening preferences in stressful environments. Specifically, our findings highlight the mediating roles of perceived social connectedness and sense of security in the relationship between music preferences and mental health outcomes during the quarantine period. These insights provide valuable guidance for developing interventions that use music to enhance mental health, thereby broadening the scope of studies on environmental stimuli and their impact on mental well-being.
由于新冠病毒传播风险高且缺乏有效治疗方法，它对全球公共卫生构成了重大威胁。虽然隔离措施对于控制病毒传播至关重要，但它们也对个人心理健康产生了负面影响。听音乐已成为一种潜在的应对机制，但尚不清楚心理健康状况是否因音乐偏好而异。
本研究考察了新冠疫情隔离期间个体的音乐聆听偏好，并评估了由感知到的社会联系和安全感介导的5种音乐类型与心理健康水平之间的中介途径。
2022年9月在中国内地对有隔离经历的人群进行了一项基于网络的调查。共回收712份有效问卷，最终纳入596个样本进行中介分析。
结果显示，绝大多数（596/623，96%）受访者在新冠疫情隔离期间有听音乐的经历，流行音乐是受访者中最受欢迎的类型，而曲艺是收听最少的类型。此外，通过感知到的社会联系，收听5种不同类型的音乐似乎是与心理健康间接相关的一个重要参数。具体而言，欣赏曲艺与更高水平的感知社会联系和安全感相关，这反过来又与改善的心理健康状况相关。相反，听爵士乐的个体报告的社会联系和安全感较低，这随后与更多的心理健康问题相关。讨论了这些发现的潜在原因和意义。
本研究对理解压力环境下音乐聆听偏好背后的机制有显著贡献。具体而言，我们的研究结果突出了感知社会联系和安全感在隔离期间音乐偏好与心理健康结果之间关系中的中介作用。这些见解为开发利用音乐促进心理健康的干预措施提供了有价值的指导，从而拓宽了关于环境刺激及其对心理健康影响的研究范围。
