Arts Award- Can you help?!

[surreptitious]

Hi, I'm researching an arts issue and as part of this research I am looking at interviewing parents with children who have been involved in performing arts, whether it's professionally or just at a club at school! (I'd like a variety too). I'm looking to see if there's a correlation between performing arts and a child's mental health- taking into account favouritism, rejection, other children etc. For this I will be needing around 3 children to fill in an interview word document, where I could use their responses in a video about the issue. The video will be used for the award and names can remain anonymous. If you're interested in helping, can you email koolkheira@hotmail.com and I will email back a interview question sheet next week once numbers are more definite.

Thank you!

[francescasmum]

surprise, surprise, yet another request wanting to put performing children/their parents in a bad light - auditioning makes them crazy!!!

[Yorkshirepudding]

That's interesting francescasmum, I didn't read it that way, but I suspect yours is the voice of experience.

I just naively assumed any survey would be bound to show performing kids had better than average mental health because of the resilience, self discipline and empathy they develop, and also because of the opportunity they have to explore and express complex emotions in a safe and supportive environment.

Not as attention grabbing as 'nightmare pushy parent raises neurotic child diva' however.

[francescasmum]

I might just be being grumpy, but they are usually negative so I might have been reading it wrong!

[TalyaB]

As this one says it's research rather than for an article, I also thought it might be more balanced or even positive. DS was interviewed by a performing arts student for her dissertation, as were half a dozen others, and the essay she wrote described at least as many pros as cons.

[surreptitious]

I'm researching to see if there's a correlation...

If you don't want to help, that's fine lol.

[fartoomuchtodo]

Surreptitious - a correlation between what? Children in the performing arts and mental health issues? I'm afraid you may not find too many people on here happy to help you.

Perhaps most of us have a big chip on our shoulder but you have to bear in mind the response of many people to what our kids do is not terribly positive. It gives us a complex. Perhaps you should research the mental health of parents of children in the performing arts rather than the kids - I know mine has suffered from too much juggling work, other children and the demands of the industry along with the waiting to hear, the pressures of keeping the child happy and healthy whilst performing etc

If I have mis-interpreted then I'm sorry - perhaps you would get more responses if you explained further?