The Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide<\/strong> is a specialized qualitative measurement tool developed by Suzanne J. Carroll, Michael J. Dale, and Kasia Bail (2023)<\/a> to systematically explore how community-based dance class participation and subsequent public performance influence multifaceted perceptions of subjective wellbeing<\/a> among individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease<\/a>. Designed and implemented within an Australian metropolitan cohort across two specialized Dance for Wellbeing<\/em> community programs, the instrument addresses a critical gap in neurodegenerative rehabilitation research: distinguishing the psychosocial, physical, and emotional impacts of standard weekly rehearsal from the transformative, visible act of public stage performance. The interview schedule comprises eight core semi-structured items accompanied by standardized follow-up probes designed to elicit comprehensive narratives regarding physical movement, psychological safety, bodily agency, social contribution, community belonging, and identity transformation.<\/p>\n Because the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide operates within a qualitative, phenomenological, and constructivist paradigm, traditional psychometric metrics such as quantitative reliability coefficients (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha<\/a>) or statistical structural equation models (e.g., confirmatory factor analysis<\/a>) are not applicable. Instead, the guide achieves rigorous qualitative trustworthiness through adherence to Lincoln and Guba\u2019s criteria for naturalistic inquiry, demonstrating high credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability via verbatim transcription, iterative thematic analysis, reflexivity protocols, and transparent researcher post-scripts. The guide serves as an essential framework for clinicians, dance movement therapists, and health researchers investigating arts-on-prescription, creative aging, and embodied interventions in progressive movement disorders.<\/p>\n Parkinson’s Disease, Dance for Wellbeing, Public Performance, Subjective Wellbeing, Dance Movement Therapy, Arts-on-Prescription, Qualitative Interview Guide, Embodied Agency, Stigma Reduction, Neurorehabilitation<\/p>\n The Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide was conceptualized, designed, and evaluated by an interdisciplinary team of clinical, nursing, and public health researchers at the University of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia:<\/p>\n The primary clinical and scholarly purpose of the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide<\/strong> is to capture, delineate, and evaluate the subjective wellbeing impacts of arts-based physical activity interventions\u2014specifically structured dance classes culminating in public performance\u2014among individuals living with Parkinson’s disease<\/a>. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative condition characterized by motor impairments (including resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability) alongside debilitating non-motor symptoms such as depression, social anxiety, apathy, social isolation, and loss of embodied autonomy. While conventional neurological physical therapy protocols emphasize motor function preservation, gait mechanics, and fall prevention through repetitive functional exercises, they frequently neglect the psychosocial, creative, and identity-affirming dimensions essential to long-term quality of life.<\/p>\n Although evidence has established that creative dance can enhance balance, mobility, and cardiovascular health, the specific psychological phenomenon of transitioning from a private, protective classroom space to a public performance setting remains under-theorized. Standardized quantitative questionnaires\u2014such as the Short Form 36 (SF-36)<\/a>, the Parkinson\u2019s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), or the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS)\u2014often fail to capture idiosyncratic lived experiences, emergent feelings of public empowerment, or the profound emotional shifts associated with artistic self-disclosure before an audience.<\/p>\n The Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide was engineered to overcome these measurement limitations. It operates as an evaluative qualitative diagnostic and research instrument capable of exploring:<\/p>\n Consequently, the instrument finds widespread utility in qualitative health research, program evaluations of community-based arts-in-health initiatives, occupational therapy and physical therapy outcome assessments, and gerontological studies investigating arts-on-prescription models.<\/p>\n The construct assessed by the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide is multidimensional subjective and embodied wellbeing<\/strong> situated within the context of arts-based neurorehabilitation. Rather than viewing wellbeing merely as the absence of depressive symptoms or the optimization of motor execution scores, the instrument operationalizes wellbeing as an integrative, dynamic, socio-emotional, and phenomenological state comprising several distinct yet overlapping dimensions:<\/p>\n This dimension encompasses an individual\u2019s internal perception of bodily control, rhythmic coordination, and somatic capability. In progressive neurodegenerative disorders, the physical body is frequently experienced as uncooperative, unstable, or alienated. Through dance, participants reconnect with intentional movement patterns, experiencing the physical body not as a source of pathology, but as an expressive instrument of grace, rhythm, and agency.<\/p>\n The construct captures the affective shift from private sanctuary to public disclosure. Within a dedicated dance group, psychological safety is established through peer empathy, mutual acceptance of neurological symptoms, and non-judgmental guidance. The interview guide specifically explores how this safety provides a stable platform allowing participants to engage in expressive vulnerability\u2014taking calculated creative risks without fear of stigmatization or failure.<\/p>\n Individuals with Parkinson’s disease often deploy significant cognitive and emotional effort to conceal tremors, dyskinesia, or freezing episodes to avoid public scrutiny and societal stigma. The construct measures how public performance reverses this dynamic. By stepping onto a stage\u2014captured in the seminal paper’s titular quote, “Out and proud… in all your shaking glory”<\/em>\u2014participants actively challenge public preconceptions of disability, converting involuntary motor symptoms into authentic, celebrated components of artistic performance.<\/p>\n Aligned with Self-Determination Theory<\/a>, this dimension assesses the deep relational bonds established between co-performers, choreographers, and support networks. It evaluates how synchronized artistic collaboration cultivates a profound sense of shared purpose, eradicating the loneliness and social isolation frequently associated with progressive disability.<\/p>\n Moving beyond hedonic pleasure (feeling happy or having fun), the guide explores eudaimonic wellbeing: achieving a sense of personal growth, mastering complex choreography, fulfilling latent aspirations, contributing culturally to the broader community, and constructing an enduring narrative of personal resilience.<\/p>\n The Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide is anchored in a tripartite theoretical synthesis drawing upon Embodied Cognition and Somatics<\/strong>, Social Identity Theory<\/strong>, and The Social Model of Disability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Traditional cognitive models separate mental processes from physical corporeal actions. In contrast, embodied cognition<\/a> posits that the mind, affective states, and cognitive appraisals are deeply rooted in, and continuously shaped by, sensorimotor experiences. In neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease, deterioration of basal ganglia function disrupts both automatic movement and internal somatic self-image. Dance utilizes external auditory cues (music, rhythm) and visual-spatial navigation to bypass impaired internal basal ganglia pathways, activating alternative cerebellar-thalamic-cortical motor circuits. Somatic theory suggests that when an individual moves expressively to music, affective neural pathways are stimulated, facilitating emotional catharsis, mood enhancement, and an altered phenomenological perception of physical competence.<\/p>\n Under Henri Tajfel and John Turner\u2019s Social Identity Theory<\/a>, an individual\u2019s self-concept is heavily dictated by group affiliations and the social valences attached to those groups. A clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease often imposes an involuntary transition into a stigmatized, devalued social identity characterized by dependency, frailty, and chronic illness. The Dance for Wellbeing framework posits that regular participation in a creative ensemble fosters a new, highly valued social identity: that of a dancer and artistic performer. The public performance acts as a public validation ritual, wherein the audience\u2019s applause and positive affirmations structurally dismantle negative social stereotypes, allowing participants to internalize a resilient, empowered social identity.<\/p>\n The social model of disability<\/a> distinguishes between individual physical impairment (e.g., neurochemical dopamine depletion) and disability (the systemic social exclusion, marginalization, and environmental barriers imposed by society). Performance art functions as an emancipatory cultural intervention. By staging public performances that celebrate diverse motor expressions, the Dance for Wellbeing intervention challenges normative aesthetic standards that demand physical uniformity. The theoretical architecture of the interview guide directly reflects this socio-political model by asking participants how public visibility changes perceptions\u2014both within themselves and within the broader community.<\/p>\n Because the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide is a qualitative phenomenological measurement schedule rather than a psychometric rating scale yielding numerical sums, quantitative validation procedures (e.g., convergent validity correlations with the Beck Depression Inventory<\/a> or criterion-related predictive regressions) were not conducted by Carroll, Dale, and Bail (2023). In qualitative health paradigms, validity is operationalized through trustworthiness, conceptual authenticity, and interpretive validity<\/strong>, evaluated across several dimensions:<\/p>\n Content validity was established through interdisciplinary expert design involving clinical academic researchers, specialized neurological nursing experts, and professional community dance instructors. The eight core items and associated probes were carefully calibrated to cover the complete spectrum of phenomenological inquiry\u2014progressing logically from descriptive historical context (Item 1), to immediate affective response (Item 2), explicit wellbeing conceptualizations (Item 3), comparative contextual dynamics (Item 4), transformative impact (Item 5), perceived intrinsic value (Item 6), aesthetic salience (Item 7), and overarching personal meaning (Item 8).<\/p>\n In the primary validation study, credibility was established through prolonged field engagement across two distinct metropolitan dance studio sites. Data were gathered through extended, semi-structured, face-to-face qualitative interviews conducted in participants’ private homes or preferred environments. Verbatim transcription of audio recordings preserved linguistic authenticity. The study utilized rich, thick description\u2014evidenced by extensive direct participant quotations in published findings\u2014enabling peer reviewers and external researchers to audit whether the analytical categories and emergent themes directly mirrored participant expressions.<\/p>\n To prevent researcher bias from contaminating participant narratives, the interview protocol mandated comprehensive post-interview field notes (demonstrated in the published “Interview Post Script \u2013 Interview 4”). The interviewer systematically logged methodological successes, environmental distractions (e.g., family interruptions, recording pauses), emergent analytical themes, and personal emotional reactions. This explicit reflexivity audit trail verified that emergent conceptualizations of wellbeing originated authentically from participant experiences rather than predetermined theoretical expectations.<\/p>\n In psychometrics, reliability refers to score consistency, internal stability, and replicability across administrations (e.g., test-retest reliability<\/a>, split-half coefficients). For a qualitative, open-ended interview guide, these statistical metrics are inapplicable. Instead, reliability is evaluated using the qualitative criteria of dependability and procedural consistency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Dependability was maximized through the standardization of the interview guide’s structural sequence. All participants were presented with the identical eight core stems in an invariable thematic order. Standardized follow-up cues (such as the comprehensive probing cue in Item 3 detailing psychological safety, community participation, and sense of self) ensured that across different interviewers and different participants, the conceptual parameters of “wellbeing” were explored with consistent breadth while preserving the open-ended nature of individual responses.<\/p>\n The procedural dependability of the interview guide was reinforced through detailed documentation of interview lengths (e.g., standard sessions averaging 35 to 60 minutes), physical setting specifications, and participant operational status (e.g., confirming whether the respondent participated as a dancer with Parkinson’s, a family caregiver, or an instructor). By standardizing researcher debriefings and transcription standards, the study ensured that the administration of the instrument remains replicable across international research teams investigating arts-based interventions for chronic neurological conditions.<\/p>\n Statistical factor analytical procedures\u2014such as Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)<\/a>, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), or Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)\u2014are quantitatively meaningless for qualitative text data and were not conducted for the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide. Instead, the latent thematic structure of the data generated by this tool was uncovered through rigorous Inductive Thematic Analysis<\/strong> following established qualitative methodologies (e.g., Braun and Clarke).<\/p>\n Through recursive coding of interview transcripts, the authors identified several foundational thematic clusters that mirror the structural design of the interview items:<\/p>\n The Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide<\/strong> was formulated and published in 2023<\/strong> as part of academic research conducted at the University of Canberra. The initial empirical findings and methodological structure were published in Disability and Rehabilitation<\/em> (Carroll, Dale, & Bail, 2023).<\/p>\n The Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide is an academic qualitative measurement tool designed by Suzanne J. Carroll, Michael J. Dale, and Kasia Bail (2023) to assess the multifaceted impacts of dance class participation and public performance on subjective wellbeing in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[13509,30,23972],"tags":[23975,23973,23974,5622,5144,23977,23976,19389],"class_list":["post-8023","psych_scale","type-psych_scale","status-publish","hentry","category-health-psychology-instruments","category-psychological-scales","category-qualitative-assessment-tools","tag-arts-in-health","tag-dance-for-wellbeing-interview-guide","tag-dance-movement-therapy","tag-neurorehabilitation","tag-parkinsons-disease","tag-public-performance","tag-qualitative-research","tag-subjective-wellbeing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/psych_scale\/8023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/psych_scale"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/psych_scale"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/psych_scale\/8023\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Keywords<\/h2>\n
Authors<\/h2>\n
\n
Purpose<\/h2>\n
\n
Psychological Construct<\/h2>\n
1. Embodied Agency and Physical Mastery<\/h3>\n
2. Psychological Safety and Expressive Vulnerability<\/h3>\n
3. Public Visibility versus Concealment (Stigma Transformation)<\/h3>\n
4. Social Relatedness and Communal Belonging<\/h3>\n
5. Eudaimonic Purpose and Creative Self-Actualization<\/h3>\n
Theoretical Framework<\/h2>\n
Embodied Cognition and Somatic Psychology<\/h3>\n
Social Identity Theory and De-Stigmatization<\/h3>\n
The Social Model of Disability and Transformative Performance<\/h3>\n
Validity<\/h2>\n
Content and Face Validity<\/h3>\n
Credibility (Internal Validity Equivalent)<\/h3>\n
Confirmability and Reflexivity<\/h3>\n
Reliability<\/h2>\n
Standardized Semi-Structured Administration<\/h3>\n
Auditability and Reflexive Documentation<\/h3>\n
Factor Analysis<\/h2>\n
\n
Instrument \/ Measurement Tool<\/h2>\n
\n
Permissions & Fee and Test Year<\/h2>\n
\n
References<\/h2>\n
\n
13. Items of the Scale (Questionnaire)<\/h2>\n