Music consumption patterns and their relationship with emotional well-being among university students

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between music consumption patterns, emotional regulation, and academic stress coping among university students. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey design, 405 undergraduate students from a Primary Teacher Education Program in Indonesia completed measures assessing their frequency of music listening, music-based emotional regulation strategies, coping with academic stress, and emotional well-being using the WHO-5 Index. Descriptive results indicated that students engaged heavily with music, primarily for emotional purposes. Pearson correlation analyses revealed positive associations between frequency of music listening, music-based emotional regulation, and emotional well-being. Multiple regression analysis identified music-based emotional regulation as a significant predictor of emotional well-being, while frequency of music listening was not. Furthermore, students who reported higher use of music to cope with academic stress exhibited significantly greater emotional well-being. These findings underscore the importance of purposeful music engagement in fostering emotional self-regulation and mental health among university students. The study contributes to the growing understanding of informal emotional coping strategies outside formal therapeutic contexts and highlights the potential role of music listening in mental health promotion in higher education settings.