Presenter Name:Marie-Andrée Richard

School/Affiliation:Université de Montréal

Co-Authors:Alexandra Lemoyne, Isabelle Peretz, Michel Duchesneau, Nathalie Gosselin

Abstract:

During the COVID-19, 21% of Canadians screened positive for anxiety or depression disorders. As music is well-known for its ability to calm and improve mood, this study aims to explore the effects of music listening on stress reduction and comfort, before and during the pandemic in young and old populations.

During the pandemic, 196 young people (18-25 years of age) and 127 participants aged 65 and over completed an online survey, in which questions related to music effects and standardized questionnaires about anxio-depressive symptoms (ADS) were completed. Mixed ANOVAs with pandemic period (before vs during the pandemic) and the mental health state (high vs low -DS) as factors were executed separately for young and old respondents.

Preliminary results show that stress reduction was higher during the pandemic for both the elderly having high ADS and for the young ones independently of ADS.

As expected, the comforting effect was larger during the pandemic, for both young and old people. This effect was more pronounced in old people having high ADS than in those with low ADS.

These results support the idea that music can have a positive impact on mental health in times of pandemic, for both young people and the elderly, and that it could be a useful tool to cope stress and ADS in times of pandemic regardless of age.