Saúde mental, autocuidado e paixão pela dança em estudantes bailarinos

Abstract

Dance culture, characterized by a competitive environment and rules that limit the performance and daily life of student dancers, represents a risk to the physical and mental health of this social group. The literature reveals a lack of support for this population, specifically with regard to mental health. Therefore, this study aims to characterize the mental health of high school and university dance students, also exploring its relationship with the perception of performance satisfaction. In addition, it seeks to identify possible protective factors for the mental health of this population, analyzing the role of dance passion, self-care and balance between the personal and student life of dance students. The sample consisted of 54 participants aged between 15 and 25 (M=17.76, SD=2.31), the majority of whom practiced classical and contemporary ballet (96.3%). The participants answered a set of self-report questionnaires which included a general characterization questionnaire, an item for performance satisfaction, the Passion Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Mental Health Continuum - Short Form, the Life Balance Checklist and the Hamburg Self-Care Questionnaire. The results showed that social and psychological wellbeing, as well as anxiety symptoms, were more worrying than emotional well-being and depressive symptoms. The dance students seem to be satisfied with their performance and their harmonious passion for dance seems to play a protective role in their mental health. Self-care and a low level of depressive symptoms appear to be predictors of well-being. The balance between personal and student life showed no relationship with the other variables. The results also showed that university dance students tend to have worse levels of mental health. It is therefore essential to consider and continue to analyze the issues involved in dance culture in order to develop preventative and therapeutic strategies to help ensure the mental health of dance students.

Date of Award	10 May 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rita Francisco (Supervisor)