Music may help raise tough topics
The study is important because children and adolescents have more control than ever over the media they consume, Sarah Vinson, MD, founder of the Lorio Psych Group in Atlanta, said in an interview.
“With more and more children with access to their own devices, they spend a great amount of time consuming content, including music,” Dr. Vinson said. “The norms reflected in the lyrics they hear have an impact on their emerging view of themselves, others, and the world.”
The increased recognition of mental health issues by rap musicians as a topic “certainly has the potential to have a positive impact; however, the way that it is discussed can influence [the] nature of that impact,” she explained.
“It is important for people who are dealing with the normal range of human emotions to know that they are not alone. It is even more important for people dealing with suicidality or mental illness to know that,” Dr. Vinson said.
“Validation and sense of connection are human needs, and stigma related to mental illness can be isolating,” she emphasized. “Rappers have a platform and are often people that children and adolescents look up to, for better or for worse.” Through their music, “the rappers are signaling that these topics are worthy of our attention and okay to talk about.”
Unfortunately, many barriers persist for adolescents in need of mental health treatment, said Dr. Vinson. “The children’s mental health workforce, quantitatively, is not enough to meet the current needs,” she said. “Mental health is not reimbursed at the same rate as other kinds of health care, which contributes to healthy systems not prioritizing these services. Additionally, the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic background of those who are mental health providers is not reflective of the larger population, and mental health training insufficiently incorporates the cultural and structural humility needed to help professionals navigate those differences,” she explained.
“Children at increased risk are those who face many of those environmental barriers that the rappers reference in those lyrics. They are likely to have even poorer access because they are disproportionately impacted by residential segregation, transportation challenges, financial barriers, and structural racism in mental health care,” Dr. Vinson added. A take-home message for clinicians is to find out what their patients are listening to. “One way to understand what is on the hearts and minds of children is to ask them what’s in their playlist,” she said.
Additional research is needed to examine “moderating factors for the impact, good or bad, of increased mental health content in hip hop for young listeners’ mental health awareness, symptoms and/or interest in seeking treatment,” Dr. Vinson concluded.
The study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Dr. Vinson served as chair for a workshop on mental health and hip-hop at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting. She had no financial conflicts to disclose.
SOURCE: Kresovich A et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2020 Dec 7. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5155.
This article was updated on December 21, 2020.