Heck Pauline Sophie, Reinhardt Wiebke, Bischoff Andrea, Koelsch Stefan
Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Independent Researcher, Essen, Germany.
Front Neurosci. 2025 Aug 26;19:1629500. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1629500. eCollection 2025.
Previous studies suggest a positive association between engagement with music and psychological resilience, yet most existing research has focused on specific populations or isolated aspects of musical activity or resilience. The present study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between musical sophistication and resilience in a diverse adult sample recruited across several countries. An online survey was conducted with 392 healthy participants and 84 individuals with depression. Musical sophistication was assessed with the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI), and resilience was measured using two validated scales (CD-RISC and BRS). Partial correlations in the healthy sample showed that musical sophistication was positively associated with resilience as measured by the CD-RISC, but not by the BRS. Contrary to the notion that individuals with depression may benefit less from music as a resilience resource due to maladaptive engagement patterns, we observed a positive - and even stronger - correlation with both resilience measures in this group. Further analyses revealed that among healthy individuals, active musical behaviours (such as making music or dancing) were more strongly associated with resilience than passive engagement (listening only). Both healthy and depressive participants reported feeling calmer and more peaceful after using music to cope with stress; this effect was significantly more frequent in the depressive group, particularly in the context of coping with depressive symptoms. Although the correlational design precludes causal conclusions, the findings suggest that musical sophistication is positively related to resilience, in both healthy and depressive individuals. Active music engagement appears particularly relevant for resilience among healthy individuals, while music-based coping may provide a stronger resource for those with depression. These findings offer promising directions for future research and may inform clinical applications involving music as a resilience-supportive resource.
先前的研究表明，参与音乐活动与心理韧性之间存在正相关关系，但大多数现有研究都集中在特定人群或音乐活动或韧性的孤立方面。本研究通过考察来自多个国家的多样化成年样本中音乐素养与韧性之间的关系，填补了这一空白。对392名健康参与者和84名抑郁症患者进行了在线调查。使用戈德史密斯音乐素养指数（Gold-MSI）评估音乐素养，使用两个经过验证的量表（CD-RISC和BRS）测量韧性。健康样本中的偏相关分析表明，音乐素养与用CD-RISC测量的韧性呈正相关，但与BRS测量的韧性无关。与抑郁症患者可能由于适应不良的参与模式而从音乐作为一种韧性资源中获益较少的观点相反，我们在该组中观察到与两种韧性测量方法都呈正相关，甚至更强。进一步分析表明，在健康个体中，积极的音乐行为（如制作音乐或跳舞）与韧性的关联比被动参与（仅聆听）更强。健康参与者和抑郁症患者都报告说，在使用音乐应对压力后感觉更平静、更安宁；这种效果在抑郁症患者组中更为频繁，尤其是在应对抑郁症状的情况下。尽管相关设计无法得出因果结论，但研究结果表明，音乐素养与健康个体和抑郁症患者的韧性均呈正相关。积极参与音乐活动似乎与健康个体的韧性特别相关，而基于音乐的应对方式可能为抑郁症患者提供更强的资源。这些发现为未来的研究提供了有希望的方向，并可能为涉及将音乐作为一种支持韧性的资源的临床应用提供参考。
