Examining relationships between staff attributions of soundscapes and core affect in people with severe or profound intellectual and visual disabilities

Background: People with profound intellectual disabilities experience a high prevalence of visual disabilities, making them more dependent on sound. However, research addressing the influence of the auditory environment is scarce. Method: Observations of the auditory environments (soundscapes) and moods of people with profound intellectual and visual disabilities, in terms of core affect, were conducted in residential facilities by direct support personnel. Appraisals of soundscape and core affect dimensions were combined and analysed by means of multi-level linear regression. Results: Findings endorse a positive relationship between the observed pleasantness and eventfulness of soundscapes and core affect of people with profound intellectual and visual disabilities. Conclusion: This study suggests a relationship between soundscapes and moods of people with profound intellectual and visual disabilities, as judged by staff members engaged in their environments. These findings give reason to believe that improved soundscapes could ameliorate the moods of the residents.