Clinical trial NCT04085861: Mental Health in Dancers; an Intervention Study
Official title: Mental Health in Dancers; an Intervention Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Health Impairment
Mental Health
Eating Disorders
Perfectionism
Depression, Anxiety
Coping Behavior
Self Esteem
Body Image
Body Weight
Keywords: Mental health
Eating disorders
Perfectionism
Body image
Body dissatisfaction
Body appreciation
Depression
Energy availability
Lead sponsor: Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Norwegian association for youth mental health
name: Østfold University College
First posted: 2019-09-11
Enrollment: 190
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 40
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Professional dancers at the Norwegian University of Dance (NDH) (n=200) and a group of control persons (Oslo National Academy of the Arts) (n=100) are asked to take part in this study. NDH students receive an intervention after pre-tests and are re-evaluated post-intervention and 6 months post-intervention. The art students responds to similar questionnaires at the three evaluation times. Additionally, the dance teachers (n=50) are evaluated pre, post and 6-months post-intervention, receiving a specific intervention designed for teachers on mental health literacy and which actions to take if findings dancers with mental health issues.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: International studies reveal high prevalence of eating disorders (ED) and mental health issues amongst professional dancers, and the Norwegian National Ballet's house previously (2005) reported a lifetime prevalence of ED by 50% amongst female ballet dancers. Mental health issues and ED have been acknowledged for several years in most sports; still the same do not apply to dance sports. The objective of this study is to improve the knowledge on prevalence of mental health issues in professional dancers and the corresponding awareness of such among dance teachers. Additional objectives are to evaluate the effect of an intervention aimed to improve knowledge on nutrition, recovery strategies and mental health literacy among professional dancers and their teachers.

Detailed description: It is well documented that professional dancing increases the risk for, or strongly associates to, mental health issues like eating disorders, anxiety, and compulsive-obsessive disorders. As much as the international sport society has acknowledged the challenges on ED in sport, the same do not apply to dance. The point prevalence of ED in the general european population is about 0.3-4.0%, with a corresponding prevalence amongst professional dancers of 12.0-26.5%. Furthermore, the highest risk for ED among dance discipline is found to be within ballet. There are no reports on prevalence in Norwegian dancers; however, the Norwegian National Ballet's house reports a lifetime prevalence of 50% amongst ballet dancers. Previous studies have identified low knowledge and practice on performance nutrition and weight regulation strategies among dancers and their teachers. Findings indicates high risk of low energy availability, implying a high risk for the many associated negative effects on physical and mental health and performance capacity. Additionally, studies finds high levels of body dissatisfaction, body weight concern, perfectionism and low self-esteem, and also high prevalence of anxiety and depression.

Several intervention studies finds positive effect on body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviour, nutritional intake in sport athletes, and also in ballet dancers in the US and Canada. Nevertheless, so far there haven't been any intervention in Norwegian dancers.

The objective with this study is to explore mental health in professional dancers and their knowledge on recovery strategies and nutritional needs, and to implement and evaluate the effect of an intervention designed to improve these aspects. A group of performance art students serves as control to the intervention effect. Additionally this study evaluates the knowledge of these issues amongst dancers and how to deal with such issues, in dance teachers, and aims to implement and evaluate the effect of an intervention designed to improve the knowledge on these aspects.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* professional dancers at the Norwegian University of dance
* dance teacher at the Norwegian University of dance
* art student at the Oslo National Acadmey of the Arts

Exclusion Criteria:

* Not student or dance teacher at the Norwegian University of dance, or student at the Oslo National Acadmey of the Arts

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in symptoms of eating disorders
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in perfectionism
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
measure: Change in resilience
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
measure: Change in self esteem
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
measure: Change in body appreciation
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
measure: Change in energy availability
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
measure: Change in depression and anxiety
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
Other outcomes:
measure: Change in demographic information
timeFrame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (4-months), and follow up (6-months post-intervention)
measure: Personal experiences
timeFrame: Pre- and post-intervention (4-months)
Locations:
city: Oslo
country: Norway
facility: Norwegian School of Sports Sciences
Study officials:
affiliation: Norwegian association for youth mental health
name: Beate Anstensrud, MSc
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References: