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Development of a Musical Identity Measure to Tailor Music Therapy for Mental Health
Micah L Primack1, Zachary Wallmark1
1School of Music and Dance, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
Journal of Music Therapy
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Music therapy (MT) can be tailored to individual musical identity (MI) to improve mental health. A new scale shows MI relates to depression and anxiety, suggesting personalized interventions may boost MT effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Music Therapy
- Mental Health
Background:
- Global epidemics of depression and anxiety require effective interventions.
- Personalizing music therapy (MT) to musical identity (MI) may enhance treatment efficacy.
- A validated scale for assessing MI is needed to guide intervention tailoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and test an exploratory scale for assessing musical identity (MI).
- To determine associations between MI components and sociodemographic factors.
- To examine relationships between MI components and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety).
Main Methods:
- A national sample of 1512 U.S. adults (aged 30-70) completed validated depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) scales.
- A new 12-item Musical Identity Inventory (MII) was administered.
- Principal components analysis (PCA) determined MII factor structure; Cronbach's α assessed reliability; χ2 analyses examined group differences.
Main Results:
- PCA revealed a two-factor MII solution: musical experience and emotional connection to music.
- Higher scores on both MII subscales correlated with younger age, higher education, and employment.
- Anxiety was linked to both subscales; depression was associated with the music experience subscale.
Conclusions:
- The MII effectively measures musical identity, with distinct components related to demographics and mental health.
- Tailoring music therapy (MT) based on MII profiles may optimize interventions for depression and anxiety.
- Younger adults with higher musical engagement show potential for enhanced MT outcomes.
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