Table 1.

Summary of included studies.

References	Context	Number of participants	Participant characteristics	Study design	Aim(s)	Variables/Themes	Results
Abeles and Hafeli, 2014	Symphony orchestra musicians	47	USA F16 M31	Qualitative: Semi-structured interview	Explore motivations of musicians to contribute to school education programmes and assess how such participation affects career perceptions	Motivations for participation Programme experiences	Delivering the programme was experienced as an opportunity for professional development and led to positive relationships with the community, autonomy, self-expression and positive affect.
Allmendinger et al., 1996	Symphony orchestra musicians	1,123	UK, USA, Germany	Mixed-methods: Interview Observation Questionnaire Archival documents	Explore differences in orchestras and musicians' career profiles from the UK, USA and Germany	Operational information Orchestra integrity Player involvement Resources Player recognition Recruitment procedures Satisfaction Career mobility Gender representation Perceptions on gender representation	Musicians were satisfied with relationships with colleagues, though scored low for satisfaction with pay and management.
Ascenso et al., 2017	Classical musicians	6	Germany, Portugal, Spain, UK F3 M3 Age range 32–52 (mean = 43.17)	Qualitative: Interview Diary	Understand the well-being of professional musicians	Developed from PERMA profiler	Musicians had high well-being. Factors contributing to well-being included understanding identity, making music and relationships. Challenges to well-being included relationships with management, monotony in rehearsals and transition into the profession.
Bodner and Bensimon, 2008	Band musicians	38	Israel F8 M30 Age range 22–45 (mean = 28.82)	Quantitative; 2 × 2 (condition × time) mixed model MANOVA	Assess the adjustment of solo singers after performance and explore mental health	Affect Self-esteem Purpose in life Mental Health	Singers scored higher on purpose in life, negative affect and positive affect before performance compared to after. Higher well-being and lower distress were related to higher purpose in life after performance.
Brodsky, 2006	Symphony orchestra musicians	54	UK Age range 22–55 (mean = 35.5)	Qualitative: Semi-structured interview	Explore the occupational experiences of orchestral musicians	Gains, risks and costs of orchestral career	Factors contributing to well-being included relationships with colleagues, emotional satisfaction, sharing performances, task variety, learning, feelings of accomplishment. Challenges to well-being included maintaining relationships, cognitive effort required for performance, maladaptive coping, low autonomy and limited career progression.
Burgoyne et al., 1999	University student actors	15	USA	Qualitative: Interview	Understand the impact of acting on student actors	N/A (Grounded theory approach)	Contributors to well-being included development of empathetic and relationship skills and experiencing meaning. Challenges to well-being included relationships with directors, distressing content and maintaining personality characteristics.
Cooper et al., 1989	Popular musicians	70	UK M70 Age range 22–62 (mean = 40)	Mixed-method: In-depth interview Questionnaire	Assess the major sources of stress experienced by popular musicians	Stress Personality	Low job satisfaction was related to working with groups that lacked personal and professional cohesion.
Dobson, 2010b	Classical and jazz musicians	18	UK F7 M11 Age range 21–34 (mean = 24.6)	Qualitative: Semi-structured interview	Explore the occupational demands placed on classical and jazz musicians and explore differences in experiences of autonomy	Creativity Work Control Demands Lifestyle Well-being	Identity, emotional investment and autonomy related to well-being. Musicians highly identified with their profession and experienced guilt after mistakes. Jazz players experienced greater autonomy compared to orchestral musicians.
Draugelis et al., 2014	University dance students	182	USA F157 M25 Age range 18–43 (mean = 20.4)	Quantitative: Cross-sectional questionnaire	Assess the contributions of motivational climate, dance performance anxiety and dance self-concept to well-being	Motivational Climate Dance self-Concept Dance Anxiety Well-being	Motivational climate and dance self-concept significantly related to well-being of dancers.
Johansson and Theorell, 2003	Orchestra musicians	250	Sweden F93 M155 Mean age = 39	Quantitative: Cross-sectional questionnaire	Identify factors determining well-functioning groups and issues for orchestral musicians	Orchestra status Job security Quality of work tasks Psychosocial factors Health	Quality of work tasks, psychosocial factors and social support significantly correlated with well-being. Musicians in elite orchestras and those with lower support reported lower well-being.
Kenny et al., 2016a	Orchestra musicians	Survey n = 380 Physical examination n = 407	Australia F206 M198 Mean age = 42.1	Quantitative: Cross-sectional questionnaire Physical examination	Explore factors impacting on health	Performance-related musculoskeletal pain disorders (PRMD) Music performance anxiety Practice and organisational factors Prevalence of bullying Occupational satisfaction	Job satisfaction was consistent across orchestra types. Musicians in stage orchestras were more satisfied with their workplace, employers, relationships with management, colleagues, pay and career progression.
Kivimaki and Jokinen, 1994	Orchestral musicians	93	Finland F28 M65	Quantitative: Cross-sectional questionnaire	Assess job perceptions and well-being among musicians and compare results to other occupational groups	Job perceptions Well-being Performance anxiety	High job satisfaction was reported by 90% of musicians, which was significantly higher than other occupational groups. High job satisfaction correlated with high levels of skill variety and autonomy, and with fewer conflicts in interpersonal relationships.
Kubacki, 2008	Jazz musicians	16	UK, Poland F2 M14 Age range approx. 26–65	Qualitative: In-depth biographical interview	Explore experiences of the creation of live performance	Career experiences	Organising function engagements was associated with negative affect. Participants reported both negative and positive relationships with the audience.
Mogelof and Rohrer, 2005	Symphony orchestra musicians	Survey n = 66 Interview n = 22	USA F27 M39 Age range 23–74 (mean age = 45.94)	Mixed-method case study: Cross-sectional questionnaire Interviews	Explore how musicians cope with career frustrations and disappointments	Job satisfaction Tenure Organisational status Coping behaviours	Orchestral status was an important factor relating to well-being. Elite orchestral musicians were more satisfied although job satisfaction decreased over time. Non-elite orchestral musicians were more satisfied with contribution to governance, though were less satisfied with job security and pay.
Parasuraman and Purohit, 2000	Symphony orchestra musicians	63	USA F37 M26 Age range 22–63 (mean = 33.5)	Quantitative: Cross-sectional questionnaire	Assess the effects of organisational demands on psychological health and well-being	Stressors Psychological distress Boredom stress Job dissatisfaction Job involvement Instrument group	Occupational demands of task difficulty, performance anxiety, social tension, lack of artistic integrity and work environment correlated with job dissatisfaction.
Perkins et al., 2017	Current and graduated conservatoire music students	20	UK F15 M5 Age range 18–24	Qualitative; Semi-structured interviews	Explore enablers and barriers to health and well-being in the conservatoire environment	Attitudes to health and well-being Enablers and barriers to health and well-being	Challenges to well-being included irregular schedules, time management, financial difficulties, teacher/pupil relationship, performance goals, comparison with peers, performance evaluation. Contributors to well-being included successful performance and relationships.
Quested et al., 2013	Dance conservatoire students	55	Hong Kong F41 M9 (mean age = 20.58)	Quantitative: Diary methodology	Assess relationships between autonomy support, basic psychological need satisfaction and changes in affective states across different dance situations	Dance genre Perceived autonomy support Basic psychological need satisfaction Well-being	Perceived autonomy support significantly predicted basic psychological need satisfaction. Basic psychological need satisfaction contributed to changes in affect.
Robb et al., 2018	Actors	20	Australia F10 M10 Age range 22–66	Qualitative: Semi-structured interviews	Explore factors that impact the psychological well-being of actors	Well-being Acting Demands Personal characteristics	Challenges to well-being for actors included job insecurity, financial insecurity, maladaptive alcohol consumption, perfectionistic tendencies and distressing content. Contributors to well-being included career engagement, relationships with audiences, creative expression and personal growth. Relationships with colleagues were experienced as both contributing to and detracting from well-being.
Sandgren, 2002	Opera singers	Interview n = 15 Survey n = 49	Sweden Qual: F8 M7 Age range 27–65 Quant: F25 M24 Age range 21–65	Mixed-methods: Semi-structured interviews Cross-sectional questionnaire	Explore problems, coping strategies and motivation of opera singers and how these aspects relate to mental and physical health	Demands Coping Motivational factors Somatic problems Depressive tendencies Addictive behaviour Worry Performance anxiety	Inability to sing related to negative affect. Job insecurity, rehearsal schedules and avoidance of social environments impacted on personal relationships. Performance related to positive affect and mastery.
Smith, 1989	Retired symphony orchestra musicians	14	USA M14 Age range 57–90	Qualitative: Semi-structured interview	Explore career experiences, medical problems and career perceptions	Medical problems Career	Job satisfaction related to being part of a successful team. Job dissatisfaction was related to relationships with colleagues, managing schedules and lack of recognition.