Poster #209 - Performing Arts Activities in Childhood: Psychological Engagement, Stress, and Links with Socio-Emotional Functioning

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Researchers have long been interested in the potential benefits of children’s participation in performing arts activities (Catterall, Chapleau, & Iwanaga, 1999; Gardner, 1973). Performing arts programs are thought to provide children and adolescents with opportunities for positive socio-emotional development. For example, arts activities are thought to enhance the development of the self, including increasing self-knowledge (Hansen et al., 2003), as well as providing opportunities for identity exploration (Eccles & Barber, 1999) and involvement in self-defining experiences (Coatsworth & Sharp, 2013). In addition, participation in the performing arts has been associated with developing positive social relationships, likely through positive interactions with extra-familial adults and peers who share similar interests (Hille & Schupp, 2014; see review by Hallam, 2010). We focused on dance and music, two performing arts activities that are most common in childhood and adolescence (Eccles & Barber, 1999; Hill Strategies, 2011; Miller, 2012; Rose-Krasnor et al., 2006).

Despite evidence of a large increase in participation in extracurricular arts activities between kindergarten and grade two (Aumetre & Poulin, 2016), the large majority of previous studies of extracurricular activities have involved samples of older children and adolescents. Accordingly, the goals of the present study were to: (1) describe different aspects of young children’s participation in structured performing arts activities (e.g., frequency, type, psychological engagement, stress); and (2) examine links between performing arts participation and indices of socio-emotional adjustment.

Participants were N = 166 children (75 boys, 91 girls) in grade 1 (n = 70, Mage = 6.17 years, SD = .38), grade 2 (n = 44, Mage = 7.07 years, SD = .26) and grade 3 (n = 52, Mage = 8.06 years, SD = .37). Children were attending public elementary schools located in suburban and rural neighborhoods in southeastern Ontario, Canada. Parents indicated their child’s frequency of participation in performing arts activities, and listed the specific performing arts activities in which their child participated. Next, parents reported on their children’s psychological engagement (interest, fun, importance) and stress in performing arts activities. Finally, parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; subscales used for the present study included: (1) emotion symptoms; (2) conduct problems; (3) peer relationship problems; and (4) prosocial behaviors.

A goal of the analyses was to examine associations among aspects of participation in performing arts (type, psychological engagement, stress), child gender, and indices of socio-emotional functioning. To test the effect of type of performing art, we conducted a series of MANOVAS and ANOVAS (see Table 1). Evidence suggested that children were less engaged and experienced more stress in music compared to dance activities. However, participants in music were rated as having fewer peer relationship problems as compared to children who did not participate in performing arts activities. Next, separate equations were computed for each parent-rated index of socio-emotional functioning. Stress in performing arts was positively associated with emotion problems and negatively associated with prosocial behaviors. Results are discussed in terms of the links between performing arts activities, young children’s socio-emotional functioning, and implications for parents and activity leaders.
 

Authors

• Kristen Archbell, Carleton University
  Presenting Author

• Robert J Coplan, Carleton University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Linda Rose-Krasnor, Brock University
  Non-Presenting Author