Modeling the Relationship Between Dimensions of Arts Participation and Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Self-Acceptance
Keywords:
Artistic participation, artistic activity, mental health, self, acceptance, structural equation modelingAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to model the relationship between dimensions of arts participation and mental health and to examine the mediating role of self-acceptance in this relationship.
Methods and Materials: This applied, quantitative study employed a descriptive-correlational design. The statistical population consisted of individuals actively engaged in different artistic fields in Tehran, Iran, from whom 384 participants were included in the study. Arts participation was assessed across four dimensions: frequency of artistic activity, duration of arts participation, diversity of artistic activities, and level of artistic ability. Self-acceptance was measured using Chamberlain and Haaga’s Unconditional Self-Acceptance Scale, while mental health was assessed using Goldberg’s 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The measurement and structural models were evaluated using reliability and convergent validity indices, path coefficients, coefficients of determination, effect sizes, and model-fit indices.
Findings: Structural model analysis showed that the path coefficient from arts participation to self-acceptance was 0.880, the direct path coefficient from arts participation to mental health was 0.658, and the path coefficient from self-acceptance to mental health was 0.331. The indirect effect of arts participation on mental health through self-acceptance was 0.291, resulting in a total effect of 0.949. Arts participation explained 77.4% of the variance in self-acceptance, while arts participation and self-acceptance jointly explained 92.6% of the variance in mental health. Moreover, an SRMR of 0.029 and an NFI of 0.916 indicated an acceptable fit of the proposed structural model.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that arts participation, conceptualized as a multidimensional construct, is associated with mental health both directly and indirectly through self-acceptance. Self-acceptance may therefore represent an important psychological mechanism linking engagement in artistic activities to mental health, highlighting the potential value of sustained, diverse, and skill-oriented arts participation in mental health promotion programs.
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