Music listening, coping, peer affiliation and depression in adolescence

Abstract

This study was conducted with 418 French-Canadian adolescents from Montréal (Canada) and had three objectives: (1) to find empirical evidence that music listening in adolescence can lead to peer affiliation based upon music preferences; (2) to find out whether three styles of coping by music listening (original self-report scale: emotion-oriented, problem-oriented, and avoidance/disengagement) are related to depression levels in adolescence (French version of the Beck Depression Inventory: Bourque & Beaudette, 1982); (3) to examine whether peers' depression levels and coping by music listening are moderators of the relation between Metal music preference and depression levels in adolescent girls. The results of a peer nomination procedure indicated that music preferences and depression levels of participants are related to those of their peers. In girls, problem-oriented coping by music listening is linked to lower depression levels, whereas avoidance/disengagement coping by music listening is linked to higher depression levels. In boys, emotion-oriented coping by music listening is linked to higher depression levels. Finally, Metal music listening is related to higher depression levels in girls only if they affiliate with peers that are more depressed. The implications of the research regarding the music listening and psychosocial development and adjustment in adolescence are discussed.

Heavy Genealogy: Mapping the Currents, Contraflows and Conflicts of the Emergent Field of Metal Studies, 1978-2010

“…Not that this framing has gone away. Psychology oriented publications continue to link a preference for metal music with various measures of vulnerability, from teen depression, greater propensity to self-harm or suicide ideation, to measures of aggression and anti-social attitudes (Miranda and Claes 2009;Selfhout et al 2008;Becknell et al 2008;Baker and Bar 2008;Mulder et al 2007;Young et al 2006;Martino et al 2006;Weisskirch and Murphy 2004;Smith and Boyson 2002;Reddick and Beresin 2002;Burge et al 2002;Scheel and Westfield 1999).…”

Musebaq

“…They remain important moderators to explore in research on the health outcomes of music, for instance, with the use of certain music preferences previously associated (not necessarily causally) with substance use, behavioral problems, and mood regulation difficulties (Garrido & Schubert, 2013;McFerran, Garrido, O'Grady, Grocke, & Sawyer, 2015;Miranda & Claes, 2009;North & Hargreaves, 2008;Stack, Gundlack, & Reeves, 1994).…”

Toward a better understanding and conceptualization of affect self-regulation through music: A critical, integrative literature review

“…Additionally, perhaps as an attempt to grasp different affective phenomena, mood regulation (Saarikallio & Erkkilä, 2007), mood enhancement (Sleigh & McElroy, 2014), coping (Miranda & Claes, 2009), and affect regulation (Van Goethem & Sloboda, 2011), have also been used. This variety of approaches has enriched the field; nonetheless, it can have a negative effect when definitions are not precise or concepts are used interchangeably.…”