CLA has recently been focused on the benefits of arts subjects and activities in and of themselves (see our new Capabilities Framework), but this month Professor Pat Thomson reviews research focused on whether regular participation in arts and cultural activities can prevent antisocial and criminal behaviours in young people – and summaries some interesting findings.
Bone, J., Bu, F., Fluharty, M., Paul, E., Sonke, J., and Fancourt, D (2022) Arts and Cultural Engagement, Reportedly Antisocial or Criminalized Behaviours, and Potential Mediators in Two Longitudinal Cohorts of Adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 51:1463–1482
The paper reports research that set out to answer the question: can regular participation in arts and cultural activities help prevent antisocial and criminal behaviours in young people? Unlike studies which have examined specialised arts-based intervention programmes, this longitudinal research study examined whether everyday arts engagement – the kind that happens in schools and communities – can make a meaningful difference in adolescent behaviour. The researchers also investigated how arts engagement might work, examining whether it helps young people develop better self-control and more positive attitudes.
This study used data from two major US nationally representative longitudinal studies that followed thousands of American adolescents over several years. The Add Health Study tracked 10,610 participants from ages 11-21 between 1994-2002, while the NELS:88 Study followed 15,214 participants from ages 13-16 between 1988-1992. The researchers measured arts engagement through participation in school arts clubs like drama, music and dance, as well as creative hobbies and attending cultural events with family. They tracked various antisocial behaviours including fighting, property damage, theft and weapon use, while also examining self-control.
Key Result
The most significant finding was that students more engaged in arts activities showed fewer antisocial and criminal behaviours concurrent with participation, and these effects persisted for one to two years after the activities. This pattern was remarkably consistent across both studies, despite differences in time periods, age groups, and specific measures used. However, the research has one crucial limitation: researchers cannot determine whether arts engagement actually causes reduced problematic behaviour, or whether young people who are already less inclined toward antisocial behaviour choose to participate in arts activities. While the longitudinal design provides some evidence that arts engagement precedes reduced problematic behaviour, the possibility of reverse causality cannot be ruled out entirely.
Arts educators are likely to be very interested in the self-control connection. The researchers saw self-control as a potential way that arts engagement might be linked to better behaviour outcomes. Self-control – the ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviours – has been consistently identified in criminology research as a key factor in preventing antisocial behaviour. Young people with poor self-control are more likely to engage in impulsive, risky, and harmful behaviours, while those with better self-control can resist immediate temptations and consider long-term consequences.
The researchers hypothesised that arts activities might develop self-control. Arts educators know that arts participation requires sustained attention, e.g. when practising; emotional regulation, e.g. when experimenting; following complex instructions, e.g. when rehearsing; working collaboratively with others; and persisting through challenges. These activities seem tailor-made for developing the capacities that comprise self-control.
The research findings partially support this hypothesis. Students engaged in arts activities did show better self-control scores both concurrently and over time. While the evidence that improved self-control actually explains the relationship between arts engagement and reduced problematic behaviour was mixed and relatively weak, this doesn’t diminish the importance of the self-control findings. Even if self-control doesn’t fully explain how arts engagement reduces problematic behaviour, the fact that arts participation is associated with improved self-regulation has implications for other positive outcomes, including academic success, better relationships, and overall well-being.
These self-control findings also suggest that it is the everyday, ongoing participation in arts activities that is important.When students engage meaningfully with arts activities, they are not just developing creative practices, but potentially building capacities for self-regulation, positive social engagement, and constructive life choices that extend well beyond the arts classroom. This research thus supports the CLA case for the value of consistent, accessible expressive arts education that reaches diverse student populations.
