Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of community singing on mental health-related quality of life of older people: Randomised controlled trial

Coulton, Simon; Clift, Stephen; Skingley, Ann; Rodriguez, John

doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.113.129908

Cited by 177 publications

(219 citation statements)

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“…In further research, more objective data based on service utilisation, specialist diagnosis, use of medication and even bio-markers of wellbeing (Fancourt, et al, 2016), should be considered, and health economic assessments made of the cost-effectiveness of singing for mental health interventions (see Coulton et al, 2015).…”

Section: Limitations Of the Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Further evidence that singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: the West Kent and Medway project

Clift

Manship

Stephens

2017

MHSI

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Purpose Clift and Morrison (2011) report that weekly singing over eight months for people with enduring mental health issues led to clinically important reductions in mental distress. The purpose of this paper is to test the robustness of the earlier findings. Design/methodology/approach Four community singing groups for people with mental health issues ran weekly from November 2014 to the end of 2015. Evaluation place over a six-month period using two validated questionnaires: the short Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-10) questionnaire, and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Findings In all, 26 participants completed baseline and follow-up questionnaires. CORE-10 scores were significantly reduced, and WEMWBS scores significantly increased. Comparisons with the earlier study found a similar pattern of improvements on CORE items that are part of the “problems” sub-scale in the full CORE questionnaire. There was also evidence from both studies of participants showing clinically important improvements in CORE-10 scores. Research limitations/implications The main limitations of the study are a small sample size and the lack of a randomised control group. Originality/value No attempts have been made previously to directly test the transferability of a singing for health model to a new geographical area and to evaluate outcomes using the same validated measure.

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Section: Limitations Of the Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Further evidence that singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: the West Kent and Medway project

Clift

Manship

Stephens

2017

MHSI

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“…(2012: 80) More recent research has added to the corpus of studies on singing and health. A pragmatic randomised trial has demonstrated significant improvements in mental wellbeing in older people living independently (8). Singing together in unison has been shown to synchronise breathing and heart rhythms which may account for the reported stress-relieving attributes of singing (9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The perceived effects of singing on the health and well-being of wives and partners of members of the British Armed Forces: a cross-sectional survey

et al. 2016

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Objectives A survey to explore the extent to which a choir programme associated with the British Armed Forces provides benefits of wives and partners and families of military personnel. Study design A cross-sectional survey. Method Online self-completion questionnaires to survey 464 choir members and 173 committee members who were also participants in the choirs. Results Large majorities of participants report personal and social benefits from their engagement in choirs, as well as benefits for their health and wellbeing. Challenges facing choirs were also identified associated with performance demands and inter-personal relationships within choirs. Conclusions Group singing generates a range of personal, social and health benefits for wives and partners of armed services personnel. The study reveals some challenges arising in all female choirs in military settings and suggests potential areas for further research.

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“…These benefits have been reported for specific subgroups, such as homeless men (Bailey & Davidson, 2002), female prison inmates (Silber, 2005), disadvantaged adults (Dingle, Brander, Ballantyne, & Baker, 2012) and the elderly (e.g. Bungay, Clift, & Skingley, 2010;Coulton, Clift, Skingley, & Rodriguez, 2015), as well as for particular conditions such as dementia (e.g. Bannan & MontgomerySmith, 2008;Camic, Williams, & Meeten, 2013), and amongst the general population (Clift & Hancox, 2010;Grindley et al, 2011).…”

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“…For instance, a randomised-control study found that after one hour of active choral singing, participants experienced significant decreases in anxiety and negative affect, whereas controls participating in unstructured activity for the same time period showed increases in both (Sanal & Gorsev, 2013). Moreover, older adults randomly-assigned to community singing groups reported significantly higher mental-health-related quality of life after 6 months than a comparison group doing 'usual activities' (Coulton et al, 2015).As well as these health-promoting individual physical and psychological effects, singing has strong social effects. Indeed, one consistently reported consequence of singing is that choirs and singing groups develop a strong sense of belonging and encourage greater involvement in the community, for example through volunteering (Clift & Hancox, 2001Grindley et al, 2011;Hillman, 2002;Joseph & Southcott, 2014).…”

mentioning

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Is Group Singing Special? Health, Well‐Being and Social Bonds in Community‐Based Adult Education Classes

Pearce

Launay

Machin

et al. 2016

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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Evidence demonstrates that group singing improves health and well-being, but the precise mechanisms remain unknown. Given that cohesive social networks also positively influence health, we focus on the social aspects of singing, exploring whether improvements in health and well-being are mediated by stronger social bonds, both to the group as a whole (collectivebonding) and to individual classmates (relational-bonding). To do so, seven newly-formed community-based adult education classes (four singing, N=84, and three comparison classes studying creative writing or crafts, N=51) were followed over seven months. Self-report questionnaire data on mental and physical health, well-being, and social bonding were collected at Months 1, 3 and 7. We demonstrate that physical and mental health and satisfaction with life significantly improved over time in both conditions. Path analysis did not show any indirect effects via social bonding of Condition on health and well-being. However, higher collective-bonding at timepoint 3 significantly predicted increased flourishing, reduced anxiety and improved physical health independently of baseline levels. In contrast, relational-bonding showed no such effects, suggesting that it is feeling part of a group that particularly yields health and well-being benefits. Moreover, these results indicate that singing may not improve health and well-being more than other types of activities. Nonetheless, these findings encourage further work to refine our understanding of the social aspects of community-based adult education classes in promoting health, well-being and community cohesion.Accumulating evidence suggests that group singing can improve mental and physical health and well-being (e.g. Clift, Hancox, Staricoff, & Whitmore, 2008;Grindley, Astbury, Sharples, & Aguirre, 2011;Stewart & Lonsdale, 2016). These benefits have been reported for specific subgroups, such as homeless men (Bailey & Davidson, 2002), female prison inmates (Silber, 2005), disadvantaged adults (Dingle, Brander, Ballantyne, & Baker, 2012) and the elderly (e.g. Bungay, Clift, & Skingley, 2010;Coulton, Clift, Skingley, & Rodriguez, 2015), as well as for particular conditions such as dementia (e.g. Bannan & MontgomerySmith, 2008;Camic, Williams, & Meeten, 2013), and amongst the general population (Clift & Hancox, 2010;Grindley et al., 2011). Here we seek to establish, firstly, whether community singing has a greater impact on improving health and well-being than other regular group activities that do not involve a shared collaborative goal, such as creative * Corresponding author: Eiluned Pearce, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, 9 South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, eiluned.pearce@psy.ox.ac.uk, +44 1865 271 367. Europe PMC Funders GroupAuthor Manuscript J Community Appl Soc Psychol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 November 01. Europe PMC Funders Author ManuscriptsEurope PMC Funders Author Manuscripts writing and crafts, and secondly, whether any such health and well-being be...

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Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of community singing on mental health-related quality of life of older people: Randomised controlled trial

Abstract: Community group singing appears to have a significant effect on mental health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression, and it may be a useful intervention to maintain and enhance the mental health of older people.

Cited by 177 publications

References 21 publications

Further evidence that singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: the West Kent and Medway project

Further evidence that singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: the West Kent and Medway project

The perceived effects of singing on the health and well-being of wives and partners of members of the British Armed Forces: a cross-sectional survey

Is Group Singing Special? Health, Well‐Being and Social Bonds in Community‐Based Adult Education Classes

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