Project Outline: Investigating how mentally well and unwell UK international students engage in music-listening for emotional regulation in different contexts
Supervised by Professor Tuomas Eerola and Connor Kirts (PhD candidate), Durham University Music & Science Lab
Introduction
Demand for mental healthcare in the National Health Service often exceeds supply, resulting in long waits for professional help, causing further mental health deterioration (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2022). This emphasises the need for effective sustainable and accessible mental healthcare (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2023). One potential approach is music-listening for emotional regulation (MER), which provides a cheaper and non-invasive way to maintain emotional well-being compared to pharmacological treatments (Lorek et al., 2023).
Further, UK international students have a particular need for accessible mental healthcare. Often lacking sufficient knowledge to maintain mental well-being, they rarely use university mental health services (Clough et al., 2019; Lu et al., 2014; Mori, 2000, Vidas et al., 2022). Additionally, cultural adjustment can contribute to emotional distress. Students who adjust dysfunctionally experience risk of developing mental health issues (Li & Peng, 2019; Kristiana et al., 2022). While MER effectiveness has been studied for other countries’ international students (Louiza & Agathi, 2024; Wadley et al., 2019; Dingle et al., 2016; Vidas et al., 2023), there is limited focus on the UK’s international students.
MER is proven effective across different cultures and ages (Eerola et al., 2024; Saarikallio, 2007; Saarikallio, 2010, Goethem & Sloboda, 2011; Hennessey et al., 2021), including those suffering from severe mental illness (Hereld, 2019). In essence, an emotional response to a situation can be changed through music-listening, which facilitates implementing emotion regulation (ER) strategies and mechanisms (Goethem & Sloboda, 2011). Previous findings also identified limits to MER, differentiating adaptive and maladaptive MER-related coping strategies that can improve or worsen emotional distress (Saarikallio, 2007; Sakka & Juslin, 2018).
However, there is limited understanding of context’s influence on the MER process and outcomes (Baltazar & Saarikallio, 2016). Eerola et al. (2024) proposed the ‘episode model’ to understand this relationship. It comprises five dimensions (i.e., episodes) of emotional experiences during functional music-listening across several contexts – ‘Personal-Emotional-Processing’, ‘Connection-Belonging’, ‘Enjoyment-Relaxation-Distraction’, ‘Focus-Motivation’, ‘Aesthetic-Interest-Awe (AIA)’. Nevertheless, this model relies heavily on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic) samples’ results, raising speculations about its applicability to other cultural contexts.
This project focuses on Durham University’s international students. Their diverse insights can expand the episode model’s applicability, especially considering their reported challenges with mental well-being and cultural adjustment. Additionally, meta-analyses show that quality of mental well-being is associated with whether ER habits are adaptive or maladaptive (St-Louis et al., 2020). Findings from mentally well and unwell participants can potentially elucidate adaptive and maladaptive musical-emotional episodes for specific contexts/situations, hopefully informing student support services of effective, accessible ways for maintaining mental well-being.
Research questions
- How do non-settled UK international students engage in functional music-listening for emotional regulation (MER) in different contexts?
- What are the differences in MER effectiveness for mentally well and unwell international students?
Methodology
Participants
The project aims to recruit 100 international students at Durham University to have a balanced ratio of mentally well and unwell participants. A pre-survey questionnaire will be used to screen in students paying international fees and/or settling into the UK (‘settling’ indicates that they recently relocated to the UK). Their demographic information will also be recorded (e.g., ethnicity and nationality).
Convenience sampling will be used, via collaboration with the Student Union, college international committees, advertisement via social media, and the researcher’s personal networks. Each participant will receive informed consent prior to participation and all data will be anonymous.
The World Health Organisation-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) will classify the participants’ mental well-being based on their responses to five, non-invasive questions regarding experiences of positive feelings (over the last two weeks). Raw scores range from 0 to 25 (the worst to the best possible well-being) (de Graaff & van Ommeren, 2024). High raw scores (≥20) would indicate better mental well-being and low scores (≤13) would indicate poorer mental well-being and a need for a GP referral for further clinical assessment (de Graaff & van Ommeren, 2024; Ellervik et al., 2014). Participants will be reminded of their right to withdraw if they feel uncomfortable during the study.
Design & Measures
An online survey based on the episode model (Dynamic Emotional Episodes to Music (DEEM) Instrument) will be used. It is a 40-60-item self-report measure that identifies the emotional episode(s) one experiences during functional music-listening in response to a specific situation. To operationalise situations, participants will read hypothetical descriptions of positive, neutral, and negative daily experiences (vignettes). They will then be asked to describe the music they would listen to in each situation, and then rate the DEEM items’ level of relevance to their experience.
Analysis of the most prevalent items selected for each vignette is expected to identify which key functional musical-emotional episodes international students experience in different situations. Mentally well and unwell participants, given that WHO-5 scores indicate the quality of their emotion regulation habits, may also show which functional MER episodes are adaptive or maladaptive.
References
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Clough, B. A., Nazareth, S. M., Day, J. J., & Casey, L. M. (2018). A comparison of mental health literacy, attitudes, and help-seeking intentions among domestic and international tertiary students. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 47(1), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2018.1459473
de Graaff, A., & van Ommeren, M. (2024). The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Geneva: World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/WHO-UCN-MSD-MHE-2024.01
Dingle, G. A., & Fay, C. (2016). Tuned In: The effectiveness for young adults of a group emotion regulation program using music listening. Psychology of Music, 45(4), 513–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735616668586
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Hi there!
I’m a 1st year, soon-to-be 2nd year BSc Psychology student at Durham University.
“Why does sad music make us feel better sometimes?” pretty much sums up my interest in music and psychology.
On a deeper level, I will investigate how international students interact with music to make themselves feel better in different contexts. It is important to investigate cross-culturally as our world becomes more globalised. Moreover, I believe music can transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, as it seems to have such a profound effect on everyone, regardless of where they’re from. Not only may music connect us all, but it can also connect us with ourselves.
The National Health Service in the United Kingdom has been struggling with high demand for mental health services, thus resulting in long waiting lists and inaccessible help when people need it most. I hope to advocate for music as a non-invasive, accessible, and sustainable facilitator of emotional regulation, thereby reducing the overwhelming need for pharmacological treatment.
Outside the Laidlaw Programme, I’m also a part of a youth Advisory Group for the ORIGIN project, which involves developing online cultural and art mental health interventions for underrepresented young people experiencing depression and anxiety. Please feel free to drop me a message if you’d like to participate or know more. ORIGIN is always looking for interested people!
Ultimately, my involvement in research builds onto my future career aspirations; I aim to be a Clinical Psychologist while encouraging the integration of arts and culture into mental health interventions.
I’m deeply interested in the interdisciplinary nature of music and psychology; however, I’m also excited to hear how other academic disciplines may interact and merge. Likewise, I enjoy multiple hobbies like playing the piano and ukulele, singing, cooking, crocheting, and reading. I think being a nerd about your interests is really cool, so if you’re like-minded, I’d love to chat with you!
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