Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians’ well-being using participatory community singing approach
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Jing Sun
und
Nicholas Jan Buys
Abstract
There is increasing international interest in the idea that well-being and health are related to resilience. Participative community singing is beneficial for well-being not only in people who are free from health problems, but especially for those whose physical and mental health is compromised. This study examined the development of five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander singing groups and the benefits relating to promoting resilience and ultimately preventing chronic disease in this population. Mixed methods, including both quantitative and qualitative approaches, were used. Questionnaires were administered to collect data on chronic life stresses, resilience, social support and social connectedness. Focus group interviews were conducted to obtain data on the participants’ and stakeholders’ perceptions of the impact of the singing groups. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the effectiveness of the intervention program on improving resilience at both the individual and the community levels. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the pathways from the benefits gained from the singing program to the prevention of chronic disease. The results suggested that the singing groups served multiple functions, which are underpinned by social ecological resilience mechanisms to promote self-esteem, learning and education and confidence at the individual level, as well as community connectedness, reduction of loneliness and promoting social support from family, community and the social context such as support from community-controlled health services, and ultimately preventing chronic disease.
The authors received financial support from Griffith Health Institute of Griffith University, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council in Australia, and Queensland Centre for Social Science Innovation in Queensland, Australia. The authors also wish to acknowledge the support of the following Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: Kambu Medical Services Inc., Kalwun Health Service, Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane Ltd., Goolburri Health Advancement Corporation, and Warwick Total Health and Education Foundation. The authors also wish to thank all the participants from five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The authors also want to thank Lindsay Johnson’s assistance with data collection and work.
Conflict of interest statement
Authors’ conflict of interest disclosure: Authors declare there are no conflict of interests.
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Masthead
- Masthead
- Editorial
- Substance use, addiction, and history
- Reviews
- International accessibility: a proposal for a system of symbols for people with disabilities
- Perceived parenting as related to emotional competence of visually and hearing impaired adolescents
- Wheelchair-related falls – a review
- Original Articles
- Health-risk behaviors and a healthy lifestyle among students from different environmental and cultural backgrounds
- Severity of symptomatology and subtypes in ADHD children with comorbid oppositional defiant and conduct disorders
- Comparison between neurological examination and computerized test of attention for suspected ADHD: implications for assessment of a common childhood disability
- Effectiveness of a participative community singing program to improve health behaviors and increase physical activity in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians’ well-being using participatory community singing approach
- Participatory community singing program to enhance quality of life and social and emotional well-being in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with chronic diseases
- The disability gap in happiness across welfare regimes
- Evaluation of disable friendliness of a railway transport facility in Ludhiana city of Punjab, India
- The relationship between phonological awareness time and reading abilities: an assessment using self-organizing maps
- Patterns of adaptive performance by individuals with autism spectrum disorders on the Behavior Assessment System for Children II (BASC-2)
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- Eclectic approach as the natural way of development in neurorehabilitation of adults
- Case Reports
- Angelman syndrome patient management: 5 years of clinical experience
- Complex visual hallucinations in a patient with chronic schizophrenia and alcohol dependence: a case report and literature review
- Book Review
- A practitioner’s guide to prescribing antiepileptics and mood stabilizers for adults with intellectual disabilities
- Erratum
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