Can Arts Programs Improve Men’s Mental Health?
Research has shown that engagement in the arts (e.g. music, theatre, choir, painting) has positive effects on improving mental health and general wellbeing for communities. Researchers were curious to uncover whether men specifically would report similar benefits, and if so, why.
This question has been explored in a research paper by Shane O’Donnell from the National Centre for Men’s Health in Ireland who interviewed men from low socio-economic backgrounds for his study.
Men’s Arts Program Participants
The researchers recruited participants who lived within the 20% most socially deprived communities of Northern Ireland and belonged to either a Men’s Shed or a mental health recovery group.
A total of 41 men participated in this study, with an average age of 63.7 years. Most were either retired, unemployed or on sick leave from work. 51% of the men were not married.
From interviews with the male participants the following themes emerged.
Theme 1: Male Comradery from the Arts
The re-shaping of traditional mental health approaches via the arts, has the effect of drawing men closer around a shared activity. As one participant remarked,
“These sort of things [the arts] are coming at mental health from a different angle and that works better for men I think…”
Playing music in a group drew men together by drawing focus around a common goal. One group member stated,
“We all work together … we are all playing together. I play along with him, and I know he is coming in next. When we get it right and everything goes right and the end bit comes and you think f**k that was good, you get a buzz. We look at each other and smile”.
Theme 2: Self-Esteem from the Arts
Arts participation generated routine, structure and the opportunity for altruism and civic engagement for these men. This is summed up beautifully in this participants’ quote,
“It’s a sense of I have done this, pride in my achievements, this is what I have done, this is what I am able to do. Using the mind and putting those things into action and what we see in the fruits of our labour. Creativity lifts us up”.
Theme 3: The Arts as a Balm
Regulating depression by participation within a choir group led one man to remark,
“When you suffer from depression you become insular, you are just thinking about yourself and your problems—you are always down on yourself. But whenever you are doing something creative in a group, like the choir or the art class, you are concentrating on that and everything else is gone. One of the best things we ever did was the formation of the choir”.
Another gentleman noted,
“As men we wear masks all the time … but creative activities allow us to express ourselves in ways that we feel we are not allowed to. So that creativity allows us to take that mask off which can be very therapeutic”.
Theme 4: Art and the Working-Class Man
Providing ownership back to participants encouraged participation and buy-in. As one man observed,
“You can’t say right we are going to have an art class and expect all the men to come along. You have to be non-directive with some sort of an outcome … give those men a degree of ownership as well. The play we did, there was an outline idea but the only hard outcome was to have a piece in a set time. We all had ownership to it”.
Expert Opinion: Hussen Hijazi, (Diversional Therapist)
Diversional Therapy programs that incorporate visual arts, music, literature, or other forms of artistic expression, provide men the opportunity to engage with their emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a way that transcends traditional communication styles.
Through my experiences, I’ve found that it is imperative to build rapport and trust before engaging men in arts activities. Quite often, men are reluctant to pursue or engage in such programs because they’re seen as ‘unmanly’ or feminine. However, once they have engaged the response is; “I wish I did that earlier”.
Real Men’s Health Takeaway
This research into the arts and its positive effect on men’s mental health is uplifting to read. When we re-image how we engage with men and use alternate approaches- we may see outcomes as inspiring as we have read here.
