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Quality of life (QOL) of older adult community choral singers in Finland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2013

Julene K. Johnson ,
Jukka Louhivuori ,
Anita L. Stewart ,
Asko Tolvanen ,
Leslie Ross  and
Pertti Era
Julene K. Johnson*
Affiliation:
Institute for Health & Aging, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
Jukka Louhivuori
Affiliation:
Department of Music, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä FI-40014, Finland
Anita L. Stewart
Affiliation:
Institute for Health & Aging, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
Asko Tolvanen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä FI-40014, Finland
Leslie Ross
Affiliation:
Institute for Health & Aging, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
Pertti Era
Affiliation:
GeroCenter Foundation, Jyväskylä, Finland and Department of Rehabilitation, Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä FI-40014, Finland
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Julene K. Johnson, PhD, UCSF Institute for Health & Aging, 3333 California St., Suite 340, San Francisco, CA 94118-1944, USA. Phone: +1-415-476-1106; Fax: +1-415-502-5206. Email: julene.johnson@ucsf.edu.
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Abstract

Background: Enhancing quality of life (QOL) of older adults is an international area of focus. Identifying factors and experiences that contribute to QOL of older adults helps promote optimal levels of functioning. This study examines the relationship between perceived benefits associated with choral singing and QOL among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: One hundred seventeen older adults who sing in community choirs in Jyväskylä, Finland, completed self-report measures of QOL (WHOQOL-Bref), depressive symptoms, and a questionnaire about the benefits of singing in choir. Correlational analyses and linear regression models were used to examine the association between the benefits of singing in choir and QOL.

Results: Both correlation and regression analyses found significant relationships between the benefits of choral singing and three QOL domains: psychological, social relationships, and environment. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age and depressive symptoms. As hypothesized, older choral singers who reported greater benefits of choir singing had higher QOL in multiple domains. The older choral singers in the study also reported few symptoms of depression and high overall QOL and satisfaction with health.

Conclusion: Results suggest that singing in a community choir as an older adult may positively influence several aspects of QOL. These results suggest that community choral singing may be one potential avenue for promoting QOL in older adults.

Keywords

musicchoirquality of lifeaging
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 25 , Issue 7 , July 2013 , pp. 1055 - 1064
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2013 

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