Many previous studies have reported that music therapy is a powerful tool for enhancing one's quality of life, as well as a form of therapy and for educating persons with physical and mental disabilities. However, research on the variables affecting m...
Many previous studies have reported that music therapy is a powerful tool for enhancing one's quality of life, as well as a form of therapy and for educating persons with physical and mental disabilities. However, research on the variables affecting music therapy outcomes has been limited.
The purpose of this study is to identify the variables affecting music therapy outcomes, such as those that can be attributed to the music therapist, to the client, and to the music. The relationships among these variables will then be analyzed regarding how these variables affect music therapy outcomes through covariance structure analysis. Thus, this study presents a scheme to increase the profession and effectiveness of music therapy.
With this purpose, A survey was e-mailed to 328 music therapists, who are members of the Korean Music Therapy Association and are working as music therapist after completing a master's course from M university and H university, from March 2, 2008 to March 20, 2008.
Among these, 150 returned and 137 were used for the analyses, investigating frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, Pearson's correlation coefficients, confidence coefficient(Cronbach's alpha), factor analysis, and covariance structure analysis with SPSS 15.0 and AMOS 7.0 program.
The following summarize the results and related discussions of this study.
1) Variables affecting music therapy outcomes can be categorized into three: variables related to the music therapist, to the client, and to the music. Variables related to the music therapist included therapist's professionalism and therapist's attitudes. Variables related to the client included client's functional skills and client's attitudes.
2) Music therapist's attitudes comprise the most important variable affecting music therapy outcomes. Music therapist's attitudes included therapeutic alliance and positive emotion.
3) It is confirmed that musical activities have a direct effect on music therapy outcomes. Musical activities are used by professional therapist. So it is important to pursue improvement of his professionalism in order to achieve therapeutic goals successfully.
4) Client's functional skills, such as cognitive, physical, social, affective, and language skills, do not have an effect on music therapy outcomes. This finding validates that everyone can participate in music therapy sessions. Client's attitudes, such as preference, emotional bond with therapist, and degree of participation have an effect on music therapy outcomes.
The findings of the study suggest that it is important to improve therapist's attitudes, such as therapeutic alliance and positive emotion, and therapist's professionalism in order to promote effectiveness of music therapy.
In relation to direct practice, the study proposes the following: 1) the development of a program for music therapists to increase therapist's professionalism 2) re-education 3) self-healing program for the satisfaction of music therapists 4) method to motivate client's participation.
It is important for those who are not music therapists but also related professionals. Through research, it is important to examine music therapy outcomes to enhance the effectiveness and profession of music therapy.