Music Listening Habits and Psychological Distress among Adolescents: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19691634

Jahnavi Manik¹, Gunjan Mishra², and Ajit Varwandkar³
(Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai, Maharashtra1¹,  ITM University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh²,
Myaglakadam Academy of Guidance and Counselling Pvt Ltd, Raipur, Chhattisgarh³)

Adolescence characterizes a critical developmental stage represented through biological, psychological, and social alternations. In this period, adolescents often go through emotional constraints that might manifest as depression, anxiety, or stress. Listening to music is a vital component during leisure activities among adolescents and has been extensively related to mood management, emotional regulation, and identity formation. Due to enhancing prevalence of music consumption in digital settings, empirical outcomes about association with adolescent mental health remain inconclusive. Ongoing investigation examines association between music listening habits and psychological distress among adolescents employing quantitative statistical techniques and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Data have been collected from 100 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years by a structured questionnaire measuring music listening duration and psychological distress indicators, namely depression, anxiety, and stress. Descriptive statistics, reliability testing, correlation analysis, and SEM have been performed. Findings demonstrated psychological distress among adolescents at a moderate level. Strong positive correlations have been found among depression, anxiety, and stress, implying that these constructs signify interrelated dimensions of emotional distress. Yet music listening duration confirmed weak and statistically non-significant relationships with psychological distress indicators. SEM analysis established significant structural relationships among depression, anxiety, and stress constructs signifying minimal predictive influence of music listening duration. Outcomes depict that even though plays serve as a crucial component in adolescent emotional experiences, the duration of listening alone might not significantly impact psychological distress. Research involves investigation into music psychology and adolescent mental health through integrating advanced statistical modelling procedures to study complex relationships among music engagement and psychological well-being.