Metal Music and Mental Health in France

Abstract

Although numerous authors have associated metal music with social problems such as suicide, self-destruction and Satanism, few studies have been undertaken to examine the mental health of fans of heavy metal music. This study attempts to determine if there is a link between mental health and the enjoyment of this type of music in France. The researchers surveyed 333 fans of metal music. Their mental health was evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), a widely used instrument that measures anxiety and depression. The scores of the sample of metal music fans were then compared to the scores that reveal possible, probable, or severe mental disorders. Qualifying variables included age, gender, status, education, motivation and participation in metal music culture. The results indicated that fans of metal music are mainly young adults (median age = 22.67, SD = 5.29) and tend to be male (87.85 percent). As a whole, metal music fans have levels of anxiety and depression that are similar to and lower than levels in the general population. Specifically, \5 percent of metal music fans surveyed showed pathological symptoms. Subjects that scored higher levels of anxiety and depression were those that had literary and/or arts backgrounds rather than scientific backgrounds, that wrote metal music lyrics, that consumed alcohol and that engaged in the body modification practice of scarification. This study suggests that opponents of metal music should re-examine the basis for their criticism. More scholarly research is needed to better understand the effects of metal music on fans and on society.

Effects of music and grade consequences on test anxiety and performance.

“…Yet, individual differences in preference may also play a role. For example, a French study on metal music found that fans of this loud and obnoxious type of tune exhibited low levels of both anxiety and depression (Recours, Aussaguel, & Trujillo, 2009). Furthermore, a study on postpartum women demonstrated that some individuals did not experience lower anxiety when obliged to listen to preselected music when at home during a regulated time period (Tseng, Chen, & Lee, 2010).…”

Music and Suicidality

“…In fact, a recent study indicated that the greater the suicidal tendencies of a viewer of a suicide film were, the more he or she tended to use the film for ideas about how to go through life and deal with the own problems (Till, Vitouch, Herberth, Sonneck, & Niederkrotenthaler, 2013). However, despite the vast amount of time people spend on listening to music-the average American spends more than 2.5 hours per day listening to music (see Rentfrow, Goldberg, & Zilca, 2011), and 80% of respondents of a study in Austria indicated that they listened to music on a daily or weekly basis (Huber, 2010)-research on the link between music and suicidality is relatively scarce (Stack, Lester, & Rosenberg, 2012).…”

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Social Anxiety in Istanbul Heavy Metal Bar Patrons

“…The majority of previous studies also showed that heavy metal preference was related to depressive symptoms (15,16) while a recent study from France did not demonstrate such a finding (17). Future studies comparing frequent patrons of heavy metal bars with non-patrons are needed to understand whether being a bar patron has any specific effects on depression risk amongst this population.…”