Music in mood regulation: Initial scale development

Abstract

Music is recognized as an effective means of regulating mood. However, there has not been a scale for assessing the use of different regulatory strategies related to musical activities, and the purpose of the current study was to construct such a scale. A survey study (N = 1515) was conducted with 10-20-year old adolescents. The measurement model of the scale for assessing the use of music for mood regulation was based on a previous theoretical model about the use of music for mood regulation in adolescence. A series of confirmatory factor analyses in the survey data supported the measurement model, and a 40-item scale for Music in Mood Regulation (MMR) was established. In addition, the relationships of the measure to relevant concepts were explored and differences in the use of music in mood regulation were studied. © 2008 by ESCOM European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music.