Taylor Swift and Mental Health Outcomes

Yale-NUS College600 enrolled

Overview

A study in Singapore will explore the potential of pop culture, particularly Taylor Swift's music, in influencing young adults' attitudes toward mental health. With the highest prevalence of mental illness among this age group, the study will aim to investigate whether engagement with Swift's songs and social media will be associated with attitudes crucial for help-seeking, such as recognizing mental health issues and being open to professional services. Conducting a survey of over 600 young adults, the researchers will assess participants' mental health symptoms, engagement with Swift's content, social media and demographics, mental health help-seeking attitude and mental health self-diagnosing behavior.

Background: Epidemiological surveys suggest that young adulthood is the age group with the highest prevalence of mental illness. However, many young adults have negative views towards help-seeking and do not access professional services. To address this gap, popular culture may provide population-level levers to improve mental health outcomes. Objective: In this study, we will focus on Taylor Swift - a singer whose songs explore themes related to mental health. As the first objective, we will seek to understand whether young adults will feel a personal connection to her mental health-themed songs and follow her on social media. We will then examine whether these forms of engagement will predict attitudes critical for help-seeking: namely, acknowledgement that one may have a mental illness, and willingness to seek professional services as needed. Methods: In the months leading up to Taylor Swift's concerts, we will conduct a survey of over 600 young adults in Singapore (aged 18 to 34). As the primary outcome measures, participants will complete the Self-Identification as Having Mental Illness Scale (SELFI) and the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services scale (IASMHS). As predictor variables, participants will answer questions related to: (i) their baseline symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; (ii) their engagement with Taylor Swift's songs and social media content; and (iii) their demographics.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

600

Conditions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 34 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Enrollment is restricted to healthy adults between 18-34 * Use at least one of the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok * Have lived in Singapore for at least 2 years. * Participants need to be able to read and understand English. Exclusion Criteria: * Anyone who does not feel comfortable answering questions related to mental health and exposure to mental health-related content online.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Help-Seeking Behaviors

Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS). Items were on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("Somewhat Disagree") to 4 ("Agree").

Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Self-Diagnosing Behaviors for Mental Health

Self-identification as having a Mental Illness (SELF-I) scale. Items were on 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not true at all) to 5 (Completely True)