The impact of performing arts on mental health, social connection, and creativity in university students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: University students often face mental health challenges, exacerbated by stigmas that hinder seeking support and treatment. We introduce a participatory arts programme, Movin' and Groovin' for Wellness (MGW), that features facilitated drumming and dancing sessions. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the MGW programme on students' mental health, social connections, and creativity. Methods: A 10-week pilot parallel Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted with 76 participants randomly assigned into an Experimental (MGW) group (N=38) or a Control group (N=38). Data were collected at baseline, midway, and post-intervention. Mental health was evaluated using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and quality of life via the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) scale. The Brief Resilient Coping Scale, Lubben Social Networking scale, Experience of Creation scale, Brief Resilient Coping scale, and Brief Music in Mood Regulation scale (B-MMR) were also administered. Qualitative feedback was gathered through a bespoke survey and focus group discussion (FGD), focusing on participants' subjective experiences of the programme, mood/emotion states, social connections, and creative expression. Results: The MGW programme led to significant improvements in mental health, quality of life, and creativity, while the Control group experienced significant declines in mental health and quality of life during the term. The Experimental group showed significant reductions in Stress scores (DASS-21) at Week 10, whereas the Control group had significantly worse anxiety, depression, and stress at Week 5, with stress scores remaining elevated at Week 10. Improvements in the Experimental group were also observed in the Psychological (at Week 5) and Physical (at Week 10) domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. In comparison, the Control group showed a significant decrease in WHOQOL-BREF Physical scores at Week 10. The Experimental group also showed enhanced creativity (Experience of Creation scale) at Week 5 and Week 10, although no significant changes were observed in the social networking or resilient coping scales. Qualitative findings highlighted the programme's positive impacts on participants' mental health, social connections, and creativity. Conclusions: The MGW programme effectively improved mental health, quality of life, social connection and creative expression among university students. These findings suggest that arts-based interventions such as MGW can support student health and well-being in a stigma-free and culturally appropriate manner. Trial registration: The trial was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under ID: NCT06542003.