The association of solitary versus group-based arts participation with mental health: evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Aims: Research on the role of art in alleviating mental health problems has increased dramatically. However, it remains unclear whether mental health benefits of the arts are the same across different social contexts of arts participation. The aim of the study is to investigate associations between two modes of arts participation, solitary and group-based, and psychological wellbeing (12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12).

Methods: Data from waves 2 and 5 of the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, involving 23,706 respondents, are used. Fixed-effects ordinary least squares is applied to examine the associations by following the same individuals over time.

Results: Our results show a positive association between mental health - using the GHQ-12 psychological wellbeing scale - and frequent participation in group-based arts activities (b=0.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19 to 0.71, P<0.001). In contrast, solitary arts activities are not significantly associated with psychological wellbeing, even for those who participate frequently (b=0.20, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.44, P>0.05). The results remain similar when controlling for key social determinants of mental health such as unemployment and social support, and when running robustness checks using two other outcomes: life satisfaction and mental health functioning (12-item short form health survey mental health component).

Conclusions: Arts participation and social context work in tandem and group-based participation is more effectively associated with lower levels of mental health problems. The results show more beneficial outcomes for group-based as opposed to solitary arts participation, proving this distinction is important for further research and providing a key insight for arts-based social prescribing.