Abstract
Cosplay – which is defined as the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book, or video game - is now a world-wide phenomenon, with research suggesting it helps individuals to learn more about themselves whilst also providing an opportunity for development, growth and confidence building. It suggests that cosplay can be beneficial to an individual’s wellbeing, but there is a lack of research considering whether these benefits remain when the individual has a mental health difficulty. The aim of the study is to better understand the impact of cosplaying for people with mental health difficulties, to identify how cosplay impacts on wellbeing, and consider if this may be useful for individuals who find it difficult to engage with classic therapeutic techniques. Data from 8 interviews with people who cosplay and identify as having mental health difficulties were thematically analysed. Two main themes were developed: 1) Motivation for cosplaying, which provides context that has shaped the experience of the individuals interviewed, and 2) A More Confident and Empowered Me, which looks more closely at the aspects of cosplay that helped the psychological wellbeing of the participants both whilst in cosplay, and more long term. This theme is divided into 4 sub themes: Attention and Validation, Skill Learning and Achievement, Social Connectedness and Interactions and Choosing Who To Be. The discussion considers how these experiences that created change can be understood through psychological theory and considers how they could potentially be used to increase the effectiveness of psychological therapies.