What Works for Wellbeing? A systematic review of wellbeing outcomes for music and singing in adults

IMS: The role of arts and music in supporting subjective wellbeing (SWB) is increasingly recognised. Robust evidence is needed to support policy and practice. This article reports on the first of four reviews of Culture, Sport and Wellbeing (CSW) commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded What Works Centre for Wellbeing ( https://whatworkswellbeing.org/ ). OBJECTIVE: To identify SWB outcomes for music and singing in adults. METHODS: Comprehensive literature searches were conducted in PsychInfo, Medline, ERIC, Arts and Humanities, Social Science and Science Citation Indexes, Scopus, PILOTS and CINAHL databases. From 5,397 records identified, 61 relevant records were assessed using GRADE and CERQual schema. RESULTS: A wide range of wellbeing measures was used, with no consistency in how SWB was measured across the studies. A wide range of activities was reported, most commonly music listening and regular group singing. Music has been associated with reduced anxiety in young adults, enhanced mood and purpose in adults and mental wellbeing, quality of life, self-awareness and coping in people with diagnosed health conditions. Music and singing have been shown to be effective in enhancing morale and reducing risk of depression in older people. Few studies address SWB in people with dementia. While there are a few studies of music with marginalised communities, participants in community choirs tend to be female, white and relatively well educated. Research challenges include recruiting participants with baseline wellbeing scores that are low enough to record any significant or noteworthy change following a music or singing intervention. CONCLUSIONS: There is reliable evidence for positive effects of music and singing on wellbeing in adults. There remains a need for research with sub-groups who are at greater risk of lower levels of wellbeing, and on the processes by which wellbeing outcomes are, or are not, achieved

APRIL: Personal Robots at Your Service

The EU-funded APRIL project, the first Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks European Industrial Doctorate (ITN-EID), is paving the way for personal robots. “APRIL's main aim was to establish the leading European Industrial Doctorate Centre for cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral training in developmental and social cognitive systems, human–robot interaction and personal robotics,” states project coordinator Angelo Cangelosi. “Training and research activities were organized around the four pillars of Scientific Excellence, Technological Innovation, Future Leaders and Entrepreneurship.

Adolescents' Beliefs About Peers' Engagement in an Online Self-Harm Challenge: Exploring the Role of Individual Characteristics Through a Latent Class Analysis

In the last decade considerable attention has been devoted to the possible contribution of social media, and the Internet generally, to instigating adolescents' engagement in self-harm activities, which are considered the result of a combination of multidimensional variables, such as depression and anxiety. This study aimed to identify, using latent class analysis (LCA), classes homogeneous for adolescents' beliefs about peers' motivations in taking part in the recent Blue Whale Challenge Game, and to analyze the individual predictors (gender, mental health problems, self-harm and risk-taking behaviors, and problematic Internet use) of the adolescent's latent class membership. We performed an LCA using "perceived attraction" and "perceived constraint" as nominal indicators. Relative fit indices suggested the two class solution as the best measurement model: the first class was mostly composed of adolescents who attributed a central role to the adolescent (internal causality), while the second class mostly composed of adolescents who attributed a central role to the recruiters (external causality). In addition, we explored some individual characteristics to test whether they could predict adolescents' class membership. Results suggests that it is significantly more likely for adolescents with higher level of stress and risk-taking to attribute a central role to their peers' internal motivation, rather than to the recruiter, in deciding to take part in the online self-harm challenge game. Implications for preventive interventions are discussed

Mobile well-being in pregnancy: suggestions from a quasi-experimental controlled study

\u2018BenEssere Mamma\u2019 app is a mobile self-help intervention containing mindfulness meditations and \u2018savoring the present moment\u2019 exercises for use during pregnancy. The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of this app in enhancing the psychological well-being of healthy childbearing women. A quasi-experimental controlled study was conducted with 74 pregnant women randomly assigned to experimental group (APP\u2013mobile app and antenatal care) or control group (routine antenatal care). Participants were assessed on their psychological well-being before, after the 4 weeks of use of the app, and after the childbirth, using Ryff\u2019s Psychological Well-Being Scale. Women\u2019s acceptance and user experience with the app were also assessed through an ad hoc questionnaire. Experimental group reported an increase in sense of autonomy after intervention and after childbirth, and greater self-acceptance after the childbirth compared to the control group. Results are promising and future investigations are needed to understand if a more interactive or a longer intervention could lead to more effective results and if other populations could benefit of this opportunity. Furthermore, to take advantage of potentialities of mobile apps for promoting well-being in pregnant women, the integration of these tools within a wide public health project is encouraged

Video games as learning tools at school: parents\u2019 attitude

Interest in video games for educational purposes is continuously increasing. According to the Technology Acceptance Model, attitude toward a technology is an important factor to its adoption. Up to now, a few studies have investigated the attitude of students and teachers towards video games as learning tools, but almost none have addressed parents' perspectives. This study investigates parents\u2019 attitudes towards video games at school. Participants show a mildly favourable opinion about video games at school, but so me doubts still emerge about video games usefulness. More, experience in using video games influences parents\u2019 attitude: specifically, gamers consider video games more useful at school and show a clear preference of school adopting them than non-gamer

Parental Attitudes toward Videogames at School

Despite research having highlighted the positive outcomes of the use of videogames to learn, their integration into school contexts remains rare. Literature recognizes the importance of user\u2019s technology acceptance to predict the intention to use and the adoption of new technology in several settings. So far, investigations have primarily focused on students\u2019 and teachers\u2019 opinions, while only a few studies have considered the role of parents. This study aimed to investigate the role of the dimensions of the technology acceptance model on parental preference (254 Italian parents) for the adoption of videogames in primary or secondary schools. Results revealed that 71% of the variance of parental acceptance of videogames is explained by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, learning opportunities, and parental game expertise. Initiatives aimed to increase parental understanding of videogames as educational tools are encouraged

A mobile health app-based postnatal educational program (home-but not alone): Descriptive qualitative study

10.2196/jmir.9188Journal of Medical Internet Research204e11