Assessment of Professional Circus Students’ Psychological Characteristics at Four Strategic Timepoints over the Scholastic Year: A Longitudinal Study Using the Stress Process Model

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The circus professionalization process entails extensive training to mitigate the high-risk demands which increase stress in artists. In high-risk professions, everyday hassles (challenges) contribute greatly to overall stress. To capture the impact of daily challenges on student-artists, the aim of the current study was to describe the magnitude and pattern of daily challenges as well as their relationships with perceived coping, anxiety, fatigue, and psychological distress. METHODS: Ninety-two students at École Nationale de Cirque (ENC), in Montreal, Canada, completed the Circus Daily Challenges Questionnaire (CDCQ) and scales assessing perceived coping, state anxiety, and fatigue at four time points over 1 school year. The Kessler 6 Non-Specific Psychological Distress Scale (K6) was implemented at one time point. RESULTS: Findings revealed significant fluctuations in challenge level and management of challenges throughout the school year, with schedule, technical development, artistic expression, physical preparation, and sleep reported as high during the two examination periods. The lowest challenge-level scores were achieved following the extended breaks in the annual calendar. Daily challenge positively correlated to state anxiety and fatigue, and negatively correlated with perceived coping. The student-artists reported higher prevalence of moderate psychological distress to general populations. CONCLUSION: Befitting the Stress Process Model, a strong interplay between variables was observed, and the life challenges assessment provides a basis for interventions based upon commonalities across the group, as well as individually tailored.