The pressure to succeed - promoting mental health and well-being in young vocational dancers

Findings in a study on dance students points to that 45% of the participating dancers suffered from at least one mental health issue during an academic year while 30% reported a mental health issue as their most severe health problem (van Winden et al. 2019). Poor mental health can arise through increasing stress resulting from different sources, such as parental, academic, and peer-related pressures. The often intense, vocational dance environments seem, additionally, to present a unique set of pressures which could have a negative impact on students' mental health and well-being. Yet, we know little about these stressors and their influence on young dancers' mental health.
How we perceive stress can alleviate its negative effects on mental health and well-being. If stress is, for example, appraised as a challenge rather than a threat, it can increase lived positive emotions, lower anxiety and promote well-being. Therefore, using techniques such as imagery and stress re-appraisal can possibly help dancers cope with stress more positively and promote better mental health and well-being. In addition, as intense dance school environments can potentially also influence the students' mental health by alleviating or exacerbating stress, it seems important to additionally ensure that a positive psychological climate is created within the school to support the dancers in coping with the unique stressors they experience.
In sum, understanding the stress-related experiences of vocational ballet dancers and supporting them in overcoming stress is important. However, to our knowledge, no intervention exists that is tailored to the specific needs of young vocational dancers, leaving them vulnerable to mental health problems. Therefore, the broad aims of this project are to: Identify stressors experienced by young vocational dancers throughout vocational training
Co-develop an intervention that teaches dancers to re-appraise stress, create a positive psychological climate in the school and promote better mental health in vocational dancers
Methodology and Techniques
This collaborative project will be conducted at Elmhurst Ballet School, an independent vocational dance school for dancers aged 11-19 who aspire to become professional dancers. The characteristics of this school will enable the design and implementation of the intervention which aims to regulate stress and enhance the psychological climate in a dance setting.
The following mixed-methods approach will be used to address the project's objectives:
Questionnaires and focus groups will be used with dancers and teachers to identify specific stressors experienced which could potentially influence dancers' mental health.
An intervention will be co-developed with input from dancers and teachers at Elmhurst Ballet School, which will focus on ways to regulate stress and create a positive psychological climate.
The feasibility and effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods.