Music, Mindfulness, and Community for Health

Despite COVID19s national effects on mental health, it has become clear that People of African Descent (PAD) are particularly vulnerable and are being disproportionately affected (Yancy). PAD already experience disproportionate rates of morbidity and mortality as a result of stress-related health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, adverse birth outcomes, and diabetes (Woods-Giscombe et al 2014). In addition, mental health vulnerability due to stress is increased in PADs in America due to disproportionate effects of racism, poverty, education, and criminal justice sentencing (Bell and Crawford, Primm et al). Various meditation and mindfulness approaches have provided evidence of measured reductions in multiple negative dimensions of stress (Goyal et al). However, the majority of these studies do not have an adequate representation of PADs or other marginalized groups and are not designed to be culturally relevant or community based (Fuchs et al 2013). Lastly, music has been shown to alleviate multiple symptoms of stress and has been shown to be a preferred and effective support for meditation and mindfulness (Meymandi 2009; Solanki, Zafar, and Rastogi 2013; Dvorak and Hernandez-Ruiz 2019). However, its role in stress management in PADs engaged in meditation or mindfulness is seldom studied. Here we will evaluate the effects of a virtual, community-based music mindfulness program on stress management in PAD community members with anxiety and depression during COVID19. We also propose a study to investigate the effects of communal drumming in reducing anxiety and increasing connectedness within drum circle community. We hypothesize that these interventions will lead to reductions in scores on stress scales and will provide preliminary data for studies evaluating these types of community programs as an adjunct to the standard of care.

Aged 16 years or older