Choral Singing and Quality of Life:

Australian data from the “Cross-National Research on the Effects of

Choral Singing” project

Donald Stewart1, Jing Sun1 Stephen Clift2, Grenville Hancox2, Ian Morrison2, Bärbel Hess2, Gunter Kreutz3

1. School of Public Health, Griffith University, Australia2. Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health,

Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom3. Royal Northern College of Music, United Kingdom

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Background

• Singing as an activity has been shown to carry benefits for health and well-being (Cohen, 2006 and 2007; Hillman, 2002, Hays and Minichiello, 2005)

• Such benefits reach across the whole of the lifespan and with people of diverse social backgrounds and health status (Clift and Hancox, 2001, Bailey and

Davidson, 2005, Clift, Mackenzie and Bushell, 2006; Bamford, 2006). • Singing has been found to be a powerful way to enhance health,

particularly relating to stress reduction (Ruud, 2006).

• The direct links between choral singing and quality of life have not been systematically directly addressed in Australia

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Study Aims

• To explore the music making and singing effect on quality of life and general health.

Part of a larger study including choirs in the UK and Germany (Overall: 21 choirs; 1124 singers)

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Methods

• A cross-sectional study design: 2007 • A convenience sampling approach: Members of five

choirs located in South-East Queensland, Australia, were voluntarily recruited into the study

• 166 participants (69% response rate)

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Instruments• The “Effects of Choral Singing” questionnaire consists of 27 items

(Clift & Hancox, 2007).

– A summed scale using the ten most highly loading items was used – This scale demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha

of 0.93.

• WHOQOL-BREF instrument comprises 26 items – physical domain, =0.82– psychological domain, =0.80, – social domain, =0.68,– environmental domain, =0.80 (Murphy, Herrman, Hawthorne, Pinzone, & Evert, 2000)

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Results: (1) demographic factorsVariable M (SD) n (%)

Age 52.1 (15.9)

Gender Male

55 (33.3)

Female 110 (66.7)

Education Secondary

27 (16.6)

College and Tertiary

23 (14.1)

Postgraduate 113 (69.3)

Employment Full-time

60 (36.4)

Part time 56 (33.9)

Retired 45 (27.3)

Unemployed 4 (2.4)

Variable n (%)

Single 33 (20.0)

Separated/divorced 13 (7.9)

Widowed 14 (8.5)

Married/Partnership 105 (63.6)

Religious participation

Yes 82 (49.7)

No 83 (50.3)

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Results: (2) Difference between the study sample and Australian normative sample in quality of life, health status and choral singing effect

4.3 3.6

70.275.2

6877.4

4.4 3.9

72.6 72.2 74.880

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1 2 3 4 5 6

Study Sample (N=166)

Australian Normative (N=396)

Note. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001

1 Physical health - 4.6***

2 Psychological health

- 2.5*

3 Social functioning

- 2.8**

4 Environment 3.1**

5 Rating of Quality of life

1.1

6 Satisfaction of health

4.1***

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Results: (3)• The regression model: choral singing has significant effect on the

psychological domain of quality of life for a bivariate model, F (1, 141) = 5.21, p < 0.01, and a multivariate model F (1, 141) = 2.34, p < 0.01.

• For the choral singing effect variable, its coefficient = .42, p < 0.05.

• Single marital status and religious participation were significant predictors for social functioning.

• Age was found to be a significant predictor for perception of environmental support. Participants who were older reported experiencing better environmental support.

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Results: (4) Some qualitative comments• “I had a full-on panic attack last week. Tried some swimming

exercises which made it worse – then sang in the car for half an hour. By the end my heart rate and breathing had returned to normal, neck and shoulders relaxed, stomach unknotted. Generally find it unwinds and relaxes me. Always feel ‘looser’ after rehearsals.” Female, 38.

• “Singing improves my mood and my health. I have to be on guard constantly against my medical condition (anxiety and depression)” Female, 49

• “(Choral singing is) especially valuable to people in their later years when they have time on their hands. I think choral singing is a (…) worthwhile activity to fill some of this time and give a real sense of achievement at a time when one might be feeling one’s usefulness is declining.” Female, 60

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Discussion• No significant effects of choral singing on physical

health and social life were found – but …• ‘happy as a clam because we sing’• Choral singing plays an important role in

psychological health as a component of the quality of life

• Age is an important predictor for the perception of environment support

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Limitations and Implications

• It was a convenience sample of people who had come together for a specific performance outcome and not randomised

• The major community-based choirs in Queensland participated in the study

• Singing as a means to promote connectedness and social and emotional well-being in the community