Eleanor Buckley, Vassilis Sideropoulos, Elizabeth Pellicano & Anna Remington (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241245354
‘Higher levels of neurodivergent traits associated with lower levels of self-efficacy and wellbeing for performing arts students’ aimed to understand how autistic traits may impact student wellbeing and whether these effects are specific to performing arts courses. A total of 424 students, including 280 from performing arts courses and 144 studying other subjects, participated in an online survey. This survey assessed their educational self-efficacy – their belief and confidence that they could successfully engage with their education tasks – along with quality of life, mental health, levels of autistic and ADHD traits, and their experiences with support during their studies. The goal was to explore the relationship between these factors.
The study found similar levels of autistic and ADHD traits in performing arts students compared to those studying other subjects. It was observed that higher levels of autistic traits were associated with lower confidence in educational settings, but autistic traits did not influence self-efficacy as significantly as ADHD traits or mental health conditions did.
Many students felt well supported by their institutions, feeling reassured that support was there even if it was not taken up. In particular, tutors who went the extra mile were valued, and participants felt they made ‘a massive difference’. But, some students were left alone to cope and ended up isolated in their struggles. They felt that they were disregarded by staff when they reached out for help and that not all staff understood the challenges they faced. The results suggest that asking for educational support needs to be normalised. Lastly, support was reported to be inconsistent, it did not always reflect the policies that institutions may have.
One-third of all students wanted more support during their courses, particularly those students with more ADHD traits.