A Survey of Burnout among College Music Majors.

Abstract

Experts have reported a recent increase in the number of college students with severe psychological problems, including music majors. The principal purpose of the current study was compare perceived burnout levels (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment) of college music students by year in school, major, and primary instrument. The secondary purpose was examine relationships among perceived burnout, academic, and personal variables. Subjects for the study were 203 majors at a public college school of music, who responded voluntarily two surveys. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differences by major, primary instrument, or interactions (p > .05), but did reveal a statistically significant effect for year in school (F = 2.25; df= 12, 519; p ********** The inaugural Health Promotion in Schools of Music (HPSM) conference occurred recently to develop core materials for health promotion specifically for National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) students, increase NASM school administrators and faculty awareness of and ability access resources for students, develop unity, and provide a foundation for future research and policy development (Health Promotion in Schools of Music, 2004) in the areas of vocal, hearing, neuromusculoskeletal, and mental health. The conference's panel of mental health care professionals stated that challenges facing current college music students may include anxiety and stress, depression, substance abuse, relationship management, and career issues (Raeburn, et al., 2004). Support for this notion was reported by Kitzrow (2003), who found evidence of recent increases in the number of students with severe psychological problems and in the demand for school counseling services. Ross, Niebling, and Heckert (1999) surveyed 100 university students determine perceived sources of stress and found that the top five reported influences were changes in sleeping habits, vacations and breaks, changes in eating habits, increased academic workload, and new responsibilities. Kelly (2003) surveyed 300 university students examine relationships between sleep habits and sources of stress and found that worry about relationships was most related loss of sleep. These results are particularly disturbing when considering that, in a study of 191 undergraduate college students, Buboltz, Brown, and Soper (2001) found that 89 percent of subjects reported some type of sleep problem. Edwards, Hershberger, Russell, and Market (2001) studied the influence of social interactions on the physical and mental health of 206 university students. Based on student responses measures of perceived stress, social interaction, as well as mental and physical health, the researchers found that negative social interaction was the most significant predictor of physical ailments. Similarly, Jacobs and Dodd (2003) studied relationships among burnout, social support, personality, and workload of 149 psychology students from a mid-sized, private university. Based on student responses a 30-minute survey, the researchers found that high levels of burnout were related negative personality and perceived workload, while low levels of burnout were related positive personality, peer support, and participation in extracurricular activities. Despite the aforementioned suggestions from HPSM panel members and the relative wealth of research related general college student mental health, little has been published regarding the mental health of college music majors. …

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 34 citations exist upstream.