Cochlear implant (CI) users have difficulty accurately perceiving basic musical elements such as pitch, melody and timbre. Music significantly affects the quality of life (QoL) of CI users. Shaped individually and culturally, music perception goes beyond psychophysical measures in capturing CI users' subjective enjoyment of music. This study aims to investigate music perception skills, experiences and participation in musical activities in a large group of adult CI users, and to understand the importance of these factors and their impact on QoL.
The study included 214 CI recipients aged 18–65 who had been unilateral, bimodal or bilateral users for at least one year, along with 193 normal-hearing (NH) controls. All participants completed information forms and the MuRQoL questionnaire. To assess the impact of music on QoL and to determine personalized rehabilitation needs, the scores of each item in the two sections of the questionnaire were cross-tabulated on a matrix.
A significant difference in music perception and music engagement was found between the matched CI and NH groups, in favor of the NH group. Participants who had received music education at any point in their lives had significantly higher MuRQoL scores. Unilateral CI users scored lower on the music perception and engagement subsections than bimodal and bilateral users. In addition, music was found to have a strong negative impact on QoL in 67 of the 214 users.
Although CI users scored significantly lower than NH individuals in the first section, which asks about music skills, enjoyment and participation, the findings show that CI users value music and the enjoyment of music at least as much as they do. The results reveal that for many users music has a strong negative impact on QoL, underscoring the need for personalized music interventions and for including self-report questionnaires and music perception tests in clinical assessments.
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