Predictors of mental health and wellbeing in UK professional actors: A comparative study

Professional acting is widely regarded as a desirable career that contributes significantly to the UK economy. However, emerging evidence suggests that actors may experience poor mental health, and research on this population in the UK remains limited. To address this gap, the present study assessed depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and personality traits among professional actors in the UK and compared them with a representative sample of the general population. A total of 184 actors and 436 non-actors completed an online survey assessing mental health, self-esteem, personality, and related psychological characteristics. Actors reported significantly poorer mental health across all measures, including higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, alongside lower self-esteem and higher perfectionism. Regression analyses indicated that individual traits, including negative emotionality, perfectionism, and low self-esteem, predicted greater psychological distress. Path analysis further revealed a significant direct effect of actor status on depression and stress beyond individual traits, whereas anxiety was more strongly associated with psychological characteristics than with the profession itself. These findings suggest that the psychological demands of creative performance contexts may be linked to elevated distress, with potential implications for both wellbeing and creative functioning. Overall, the results highlight the need for targeted research and support for this underrepresented group.