Music Engagement Questionnaire Development for Individuals with Dementia or Other Cognitive Impairments

Abstract

Previous literature has shown the importance of music engagement in everyday living, particularly for regulating emotions and enhancing the quality of life. However, the benefits individuals derive from music vary based on degree and method of use. Current measures of music engagement are designed for healthy populations and rely heavily on introspective self-report. Unfortunately, special populations with cognitive deficits, such as dementia patients, cannot accurately report introspective emotions and mood. Thus, there is a need for a more concrete behavioural-based measure suitable for reporting by a third party. The current study addressed these issues by developing a music engagement questionnaire suitable for dementia patients. The questionnaire will be tested with a large sample of adults with a range of ages. Furthermore, the questionnaire will undergo statistical analysis to determine validity and reliability. The result will be a measure of music engagement suitable for use with participants who suffer from dementia or other cognitive disorders.