Singing for self-affirmation and healing: how Black young people articulate growth and mental health through music

Black young people in underresourced communities with high levels of violence exposure experience a range of mental health sequelae and barriers to mental health support. In this study, 18 Black young people (ages 12-19) participated in a co-created program to process and cope with the impact of trauma through creative writing activities focused on music production. Participating young people created 20 songs. Song lyrics young people created during the program were the study data source. Using an inductive coding approach and member checking with program participants, three key themes emerged from songs: (1) self-affirmation and self-empowerment, (2) flourishing or personal growth, (3) emotional processing and narrative construction, and (4) disclosure of mental health challenges. The first author, a white woman and non-musician, engaged in reflexivity to account for positionality and center the socio-political contexts and expressive intent of the youth lyricists. Mental health difficulties included externalizing behavior problems (depictions of violence), substance use, exposure to violence, trauma and loss, feelings of mental instability, and depression. Data emphasized the power of such programming to promote unplanned skills building like cognitive restructuring. Altogether, study findings point toward the importance of co-creating curricula with young people to address their mental health needs.