PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

This study explores how narrative techniques are used and how they affect Malaysian performing arts students' mental health. This study fills a major knowledge gap regarding mental health in the Malaysian performing arts community, as most of the previous research has focused on physical health and Western contexts. The study investigates the coping strategies that these students employ, the themes that are expressed, and how they use narrative techniques to communicate their experiences with mental health. Twelve Malaysian performing arts students, ages 20 to 25, representing a range of gender identities, participate in the study using semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling. Three main conclusions emerge from thematic analysis: students struggle with what to reveal in their narratives out of fear of being judged or misunderstood; narrative techniques, like writing and performance, are essential for managing and coping with mental health challenges; and narrative techniques help dispel societal misconceptions about mental health, promote empathy, and increase awareness. This qualitative study offers a more comprehensive, contextually appropriate framework for mental health support in Malaysia's performing arts industry. Incorporating narrative techniques fosters emotional development and healing, indicating that this method may prove beneficial for managing mental health challenges. The results, however, are unique to students in the performing arts and cannot be applied to other populations. Future studies should involve a wider range of participants and investigate the long-term impacts of narrative techniques. Training facilitators may also improve these practices' therapeutic effects.