Dancing can make a big difference to the mental health of teenage girls, researchers reported last night.
Swedish researchers report that joining a dance club can have long-term benefits for girls with mental health problems.
Researchers tested the benefits on girls aged 13 to 19 who had visited a school nurse reporting headaches, anxiety, depression and back neck and shoulder pain.
Out of 112 girls, some 59 were allocated at random to join a group that danced together twice a week.
The research, reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that the dancers enjoyed a significant improvement in self-esteem and this lasted for up to eight months after the dance programme ended.
And 91% of the dancers said they enjoyed the activity, according to Anna Duberg, of Örebro University Hospital, Sweden.
But a second study yesterday warned that teenagers who voluntarily participate in arts activities may face a high risk of depression.
Researchers in Boston, USA, looked at teenagers taking part in after-school activities such as music, drama and painting.
The found higher participation rates among girls and higher rates of depression in their study of some 2,400 students aged 15 or 16, reported in a journal called Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.
Researcher Laura Young, of Boston College, said "Further research can address the question of whether potential psychological vulnerabilities can be transformed into strengths through the practice of the arts."
Influencing Self-rated Health Among Adolescent Girls With Dance Intervention A Randomized Controlled Trial. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine [abstract]
Heightened Incidence of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents Involved in the Arts, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts Nov 12 2012.
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