Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Musician’s Wellbeing and Mental Health

Abstract

Objective: The present study experimentally investigated any difference the impact COVID- 19 pandemic had on the wellbeing and mental health of musicians and non-musicians in Cyprus. Furthermore, differences on the mental health of the musicians who stopped any practice and performances during lockdown were examined. Methods and Materials: The analysed data included 60 adults who participated in an online survey in Cyprus. In addition to demographic, data including terms related to music routines during lockdown, psychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and quality of life were measured by using the Feelings of Threat and Uncertainty scale (FTUS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder-7 item (GAD-7), and generic Quality of Life Scale developed through the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF). Results: No significant difference were found on the mental health between musicians and non-musicians. Correlation analysis revealed no substantial association between feelings of threat and uncertainty for COVID-19 and any mental health variable. This may suggest that the impact the pandemic had on the population mental health since the first lockdown (March 2020), may be moderate. For the second hypothesis, findings revealed that the musicians who stopped any practice during lockdown restrictions, significantly affected scores of depression. No significant comparisons were observed with other variables. Conclusions: Findings from the current study raise the importance of further investigating the impact COVID-19 had on population mental health. It becomes apparent that greater focus should be placed on artists who were forced to change their routines due to the restrictions.