Development and validation of the Healthy‐Unhealthy Music Scale. Issue 4 (18th May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Saarikallio, Suvi; Gold, Christian; McFerran, Katrina
• Is Part Of: Child and adolescent mental health. Volume 20:Issue 4(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 210
• Page End: 217
• Publication Date: 2015-05-18
• Subjects: Adolescent psychology -- Periodicals; Child mental health -- Periodicals; Child psychiatry -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Teenagers -- Mental health -- Periodicals; 155.405
• DOI: 10.1111/camh.12109
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-357X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="camh12109-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="camh12109-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>Music is an integral part of life in youth, and although it has been acknowledged that musical behavior reflects broader psychosocial aspects of adolescent behavior, no measurement instruments have been specifically designed for assessing musical engagement as an indicator of adolescent wellbeing and/or symptomatology. This study was conducted in order to develop and validate a scale for assessing musical engagement as an indicator of proneness for depression in youth.</p> </sec> <sec id="camh12109-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Method</title> <p>Items were developed based on the literature and a prior grounded theory analysis and three surveys (<italic>N</italic> = 54, <italic>N</italic> = 187, <italic>N</italic> = 211) were conducted to select, refine, test, and validate the items. Scale structure was investigated through interitem correlations, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA, CFA), and concurrent validity was tested with correlations to depression and wellbeing.</p> </sec> <sec id="camh12109-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>The final Healthy‐Unhealthy Music Scale (HUMS) consists of 13 items that are divided into Healthy and Unhealthy subscales. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were .78 for Healthy and .83 for Unhealthy. The concurrent validity of the HUMS was confirmed through correlations to wellbeing, happiness and school satisfaction on one hand and depression, rumination, and stress on the other.</p> </sec> <sec id="camh12109-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>The HUMS is as a promising instrument for screening musical engagement that is indicative of proneness for depression in youth.</p> </sec> </abstract>