Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4669-2546

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Department

Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies

Committee Chair

Erin McHenry-Sorber

Committee Member

John Campbell

Committee Member

Matthew Campbell

Committee Member

Jada Watson

Abstract

Higher education is experiencing a mental health epidemic (Venit, 2022). There is unprecedented student demand for psychological services that colleges are unable to meet (Lipson et al., 2019a), leading to high rates of mental illness-related attrition (Koch et al., 2018). Two groups of students at particularly high risk of mental illness-related attrition are students with historically marginalized identities, whether by race, gender, income, or another factor (Eisenberg et al., 2013), and music majors, a group that has been shown to have greater rates of mental illness than students in other majors (Lipson et al., 2016; Spahn et al., 2004). While many quantitative studies have captured the widespread prevalence of mental illness in music majors (e.g., Koops & Kuebel, 2019; Payne, 2023; etc.), the existing literature cannot adequately explain why mental health problems are more common in music students, or how these mental health challenges connect to and intersect with other identities that may also be held by music majors.

To address this gap, this study sought to investigate: 1) music majors’ experiences with mental health prior to, as well as during, college; 2) aspects of college most challenging for music majors’ mental health; and 3) supports that successfully reduce music majors’ mental health challenges. Using intersectionality as critical social theory as a framework (Collins, 2019), this study centered the voices of diverse music majors with mental illness through arts-based and qualitative participatory action research methods—specifically, photovoice (Wang & Burris, 1997) and narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990).

Eight diverse undergraduate music majors who have experienced mental health challenges at two different postsecondary research institutions were recruited to participate in this multi-institutional study. Data was collected via: 1) two separate focus group interviews with each institution-specific cohort; 2) participant-created photographs/art and participant-written commentaries; and 3) one individual interview with each willing participant. Co-construction of themes during focus group interviews contributed to data analysis of participants’ photographs/art (Wang, 1999), and focus group interview transcripts were also analyzed by the researcher using multiple thematic coding strategies (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). The three-dimensional space approach to restorying (Ollerenshaw & Creswell, 2002; Connelly & Clandinin, 2000), combined with member checks, supported the development of participant narratives, and convergences and divergences across participant narratives were then explored.

Findings suggest a possible link between childhood histories of mental health challenges or trauma and music majors’ mental health concerns in college. Findings also highlighted a frequent student distrust of university counseling services and showed specific areas within postsecondary music spaces that contribute negatively to mental health, such as oppressive policies, curriculum, and social hierarchies. Conversely, participants also cited interpersonal support, an enduring love for music, and optimism for the future as factors contributing positively to their mental health. This research has meaningful practical implications for higher education policy through the development of strategies that can support greater retention of marginalized students and students in a high-attrition major, leading to better graduation rates and a more prosperous future for higher education.

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