"Andre viser omsorg, så da må jeg og kunne klare det". En kvalitativ undersøkelse av medlemmers sosiale erfaringer knyttet til deltakelse i et kor for mennesker med psykiske helseplager

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the social experiences of participants in a choir for people with mental health problems. The context of the choir is a community resource centre for mental health. People with mental health problems are at high risk of social isolation, stigmatization and social exclusion. Choir participation can be seen as an activity that fosters group cohesion, social inclusion and prevention of social isolation, which is understood as a high risk factor for health. The main theoretical frame for this explorative research was related to social capital and perspectives related to Community Music Therapy. Sample: The sample in this study was six choir participants, one man and five women. Their age ranged from 30 to 70 years. Many of them had been singing in the choir for many years, while some of them had just started. Method: The method used to collect data was semi-structured interview. It was considered as the most appropriate method since it gave the researcher opportunities to explore some of the themes in depth with the participants. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: Three main themes were identified: Support and mastery", Conflicts and norms" and Social impact on other contexts". The findings indicate that the choir is generating both bonding social capital and bridging social capital. A similar life situation shared among choir participants, group belonging and social accept can be seen as bonding qualities. Support and mastery was both connected to social and musical aspects of the participation. Several of the informants reported that participation in the choir affected their self-esteem and self- evaluation in a positive direction. Conflicts and norms could be understood as a learning process where the participants learnt how to interact and co-operate with each other. Some reported that trust generated in the choir also had an impact on their interactions in other social contexts. Friendships that grew closer through the choir participation are also seen as a social resource in the participants' daily lives since many of them spent time together outside the choir context