The relationship between middle school students' music preferences with state-trait anger expression styles and personality traits

In this study, it is aimed to reveal the relationship between middle school students' music listening preferences, their anger states, and personality traits through various variables. Research utilized causal comparison, correlational research, and descriptive research models. The participant group of the research consists of middle school students selected using the maximum diversity sampling method, taking into account the 2022 report of the Regional Development and Structural Adjustment General Directorate titled "Socio-Economic Development Ranking of Districts (SEGE)" (N=593). In the study, participants were administered the Trait Anger and Anger Expression Style Scale, the Big Five Personality Scale, and a Music Preferences Questionnaire created by the researcher for the purpose of data collection. In the study, the One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) technique was used. Moreover, to determine which groups showed significant differences based on the significance value, Post-Hoc comparison tests and independent samples T-Test were employed. Correlation analysis techniques were also applied to identify the relationship between dependent continuous variables. Additionally, simple and multiple linear regression analyses have been applied to determine the predictive relationship between the variables. As a result of the analyses conducted on participants' anger levels, a significant difference was found between the dimensions of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory and the variables of economic status, gender, frequency of music listening, emotional state in which they prefer to listen to music, emotions felt while listening to music, thoughts most frequently occurring while listening to music, preferred volume level, purpose of music listening, ability to play a musical instrument other than the melodica or recorder, and preferred music genre. Moreover, no significant difference was found between the dimensions of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory and the variables of age, parental education level, the presence of a family member engaged in music, the most influential factor while listening to music, the factors that most influence music preference, the region in which participants live, and the most frequently used medium for listening to music. As a result of the analyses conducted on participants' personality traits, a significant difference was found between the Big Five Personality Scale and the variables of gender, maternal education level, paternal education level, ability to play a musical instrument other than the melodica or recorder, the presence of a family member engaged in music, frequency of music listening, emotional state in which they prefer to listen to music, emotions felt while listening to music, purpose of music listening, the most influential factor in music preference, the medium preferred for listening to music, volume level, and preferred music genre. Moreover, no significant difference was found between the dimensions of the Big Five Personality Scale and the variables of age, economic status, the most frequently occurring thoughts while listening to music, and the most influential factor while listening to music. As a result of the analyses conducted on the frequency of listening to music genres, a significant difference was found between the dimensions of the Big Five Personality Scale and the listening frequency of Turkish folk music, Turkish classical music, arabesque/fantasy, Turkish rock/metal, foreign pop, Turkish pop, classical Western music, Turkish rap/hip-hop, electronic music, and religious music. Moreover, no significant difference was found between the frequency of listening to foreign rock/metal, foreign rap/hiphop and jazz music genres and the dimensions of the Big Five Personality Scale. A significant difference was found between the frequency of listening to Turkish art music, arabesque/fantasy, classical western music, Turkish rap/hiphop music genres and the dimensions of Trait Anger-Anger Expression Style Scale. In addition, no significant difference was found between the frequency of listening to Turkish folk music, Turkish pop, foreign pop, Turkish rock/metal, foreign rock/metal, jazz music, electronic music and religious music genres and the dimensions of Trait Anger-Anger Expression Style Scale. A significant difference was found between the variable of music genre, the emotional state felt while listening to music, the most influential factor while listening to music and the preferred volume level, and the emotional state towards listening to music.