The Impact of Performing Arts on Mental Health, Social Connection, and Creativity in University Students

August 8, 2024 updated by: Kathleen Rose Agres, National University of Singapore

Movin' & Groovin' for Wellness: A Drumming and Dancing Program to Support Well-being in NUS Students

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate whether the "Movin' & Groovin' for Wellness" (MGW) performing arts program is able to support mental, social, and emotional health in NUS students. It will also assess the program's impact on students' well-being. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  1. Does participation in the program decrease depressive symptoms, stress levels and anxiety?
  2. Does the program foster creative expression among participants?
  3. Does the program foster social connections among participants?

Researchers compare the effects of the facilitated music and dance sessions (MGW program) to a Control group that does not participate in these activities. Participants are randomly assigned into either the Experimental (MGW) group or Control group.

Those in the Experimental group are randomly allocated to one of two subgroups, where participants either experience drumming or dancing sessions first (for 5 weeks), followed by the other activity (e.g., the only difference between subgroups is the order in which they experience the facilitated sessions). Both the drumming and dancing sessions are led by trained professionals. The sessions are held weekly for 10 weeks in dedicated performance rooms. Participants also complete questionnaires, and have the opportunity to participate in a focus group discussion to provide feedback about the program.

Control group participants complete the same questionnaires at the same time points without participating in the activities. The program aims to evaluate the effectiveness of music and dance in promoting mental health, social well-being, and creativity among university students.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
76

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Singapore
      • Singapore, Singapore, 117376
        • YST Conservatory, 3 Conservatory Drive

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be currently enrolled in NUS
  • Be between the ages of 18-40 years old
  • Be fluent (speak and write) in English
  • Able to commit to attending the live sessions for the entire 10-week period
  • Have normal or corrected-to-normal hearing and vision

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have been diagnosed with a neurological or hearing impairment, or a physical impairment that would prevent moving/dancing
  • Are taking medicine to treat their mental health (as this would be a confound in the study)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: MGW Drum and Dance Group
Participants in the intervention group engage in a 10-week program that includes both drumming and dancing sessions. The group is further divided into two subgroups due to logistical reasons, with one subgroup attending five weeks of drumming sessions followed by five weeks of dancing sessions, and the other subgroup attending sessions in the opposite order. All participants in this arm participate in both drumming and dancing sessions.
Behavioral: Movin' and Groovin' for Wellness
Movin' and Groovin' for Wellness (MGW) is a 10-week program consisting of facilitated drumming and dancing sessions. The sessions include guided activities involving drumming, dancing, and group improvisation. Each session lasts approximately 1.5 hours, with activities designed to improve mental well-being, enhance social connections, and foster creative expression. The sessions are guided by professional facilitators.
No Intervention: No-treatment Control Group
Participants in the control group do not participate in the drumming and dancing sessions. They represent "normal student life". They only complete the same questionnaires at the same time points as the intervention group to serve as a baseline comparison for evaluating the impact of the interventions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in depressive symptoms, stress levels and anxiety levels
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Measurement of participants' depressive symptoms, stress levels and anxiety levels using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The scores from the DASS-21 questionnaire are used to assess these changes. Depression/Anxiety/Stress sub-scales' scores can range from 0-21 with higher scores indicating worse symptoms.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Changes in quality of life
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Measurement of participants' quality of life using the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). This measure captures physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental domains. The physical, psychological, social, and environmental domain scores each range from 4-20 with higher scores indicating a higher quality of life.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Participant experience
Time Frame: Week 5, Week 10
Collection of participants' experience in the program. The bespoken survey asks about students' experiences in the program, spanning artistic engagement, creative expression, comfort, mood, sense of well-being, and social aspects of the program.
Week 5, Week 10
Qualitative feedback from focus group discussion
Time Frame: Within two weeks post-program completion
Collection of lived experience from focus group discussion (FGD) about the program's impact on mental health, social connection, and creativity, as well as general feedback about the MGW program.
Within two weeks post-program completion
Changes in social connection
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Measurement of participants' social networks using the Short Form Lubben Social Network Scale. This scale evaluates the frequency and quality of participants' social interactions. The Friend sub-scale scores range from 0-15 with higher scores indicating more social connection with friends. The Family sub-scale scores range from 0-15 with higher scores indicating greater social connection with family.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Changes in creativity
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Measurement of participants' creative experiences using the Experience of Creation Scale. This scale assesses the impact of creative activities on participants' feelings of empowerment, freedom to decide, impact, and creativity. The scores range from 4-20 with higher scores indicating better experience of creation.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Changes in resilience
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Measurement of emotional resilience using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. This scale measures participants' ability to cope with stress and adapt to changes, with higher scores indicating better resilience. The scores range from 4-20 with higher scores indicating high resilient copers.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Changes in mood regulation through music
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Measurement of participants' use of music for mood regulation using the Brief Music in Mood Regulation Scale (B-MMR). This scale evaluates various strategies of music listening that individuals use to manage their mood and emotions. For each sub-scale, the scores range from 3-15 with higher scores indicating greater use of that listening strategy for mood regulation.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National University of Singapore

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Kathleen R Agres, PhD, National University of Singapore

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 29, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 27, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 3, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 3, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 7, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 12, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 8, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NUS-IRB-2023-3

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The IPD won't be shared.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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