Mood changes of children and adolescents in dance classes: a prospective repeated-measures study

Adolescent mental health in the United States has deteriorated markedly over the past decade, with diagnosed mental or behavioral health conditions among 12-to-17-year-olds increasing 35% between 2016 and 2023, driven by a 61% rise in anxiety diagnoses and a 45% rise in depression. Community-based interventions combining physical activity, creative expression, and social connection represent a promising response.

This prospective repeated-measures study examined the association between structured dance education and mood among 256 children and adolescents (ages 5-17) at four studio locations. Over 4 months (February-May 2025), students completed 4,224 paired pre- and post-class mood ratings using a single-item emoji scale; the primary analytic sample comprised 4,059 sessions from 251 students. PANAS-C administrations provided a concurrent measure of dispositional affect, with each student's score anchored to the administration nearest the study close. Multilevel models accounted for the nested data structure (students contributing 1-109 sessions each).

The intraclass correlation was 0.432. Post-class mood was significantly higher than pre-class mood (session-level Cohen's d = 0.27 [primary estimate] and per-student d_z = 0.43 [p < 0.001]) with 85.8% of sessions showing maintained or improved mood. A Tobit sensitivity analysis confirmed these patterns after adjusting for the 28.8% post-class ceiling rate. No covariate (including weekly frequency, class type, proficiency level, or instructor experience) explained significant additional variance. Individual differences dominated: random slopes improved model fit substantially (ΔAIC = 201). Convergent validity between the emoji scale and PANAS-C Positive Affect was significant (r = 0.19, p = 0.011, n = 175), with the strongest association among students attending 4-6 classes per week (r = 0.51, n = 25).

Dance participation was associated with a consistent acute mood benefit generalizing across genres, schedules, and experience levels; individual characteristics, rather than program features, accounted for most meaningful variation. The observational design precludes causal attribution.