Evaluating the Community Drum Circle

Mental health vulnerability due to stress is increased America due to disproportionate effects of social factors such as racism, poverty, education, and criminal justice sentencing. Various meditation and mindfulness approaches have provided evidence of measured reductions in multiple negative dimensions of stress. However, the majority of these studies do not have an adequate representation of Persons of African Descent(PAD) or other marginalized groups and are not designed to be culturally relevant or community based. Music has been shown to alleviate multiple symptoms of stress and has been shown to be a preferred and effective support for meditation and mindfulness. However, its role in stress management in PADs engaged in meditation or mindfulness is seldom studied. This study aims to evaluate the effects of a community-based music mindfulness program on stress management in PAD community members with anxiety and depression during COVID19. Component 2c. Drum Circle Study: Investigators will study the impact of participation in drum circles on anxiety and feelings of connectedness.

The investigators also propose a study to investigate the effects of communal drumming in reducing anxiety and increasing connectedness within drum circle community. Investigators hypothesize that these intervention will lead to reductions in scores on stress scales and will provide preliminary data for studies evaluating these types of community programs as an adjunct to the standard of care. Individuals who attend periodic (i.e. weekly) drum circles will be recruited to join an 8-week paradigm. Drum circle sessions may audio recorded and participants will be informed of this during the consent process. Participants may be asked to undergo Electroencepholography, functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, and/or other physiological measures before, during, and after the circles. Upon completion of the experiments, participants will be asked to take part in a focus group that will provide valuable feedback on their experience with the mindfulness intervention. Focus groups will last 30-minutes to 1 hour and will occur in-person.