Effects of Music Therapy on State Anxiety and Meaning in Life on Patients in an Acute Psychiatric Setting

Michael J. Silverman 한국음악치료학회 2011 한국음악치료학회지 Vol.13 No.2

There continues to be a dearth of randomized and controlled psychiatric music therapy literature. Additionally, of the existing published quantitative literature concerning music therapy for people diagnosed with mental illnesses, many of the control conditions were “active” as patients received some sort of treatment. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of single-session music therapy on state anxiety and meaning of life in patients hospitalized on an acute psychiatric setting utilizing a singlesession pure wait-list control condition. Participants (N = 69) were randomly assigned by group to experimental (music therapy followed by a posttest) or control (pretest followed by music therapy) conditions. The single-session music therapy treatment consisted of live patient-preferred music, active rhythm-based interventions, and a brief lyric analysis intervention to identify supports in the hospital and in the community. Results for both subscales of meaning in life were not significant and mean differences were negligible. Although not significant, participants in the music therapy condition tended to have lower mean state anxiety scores. Participants’ written posttest comments supported the use of music therapy on the unit. Results are discussed in context of the current quantitative psychiatric music therapy literature base. Implications for music therapy treatment, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Effects of Educational Music Therapy on Knowledge of Social Supports in Acute Care Psychiatric Patients : A Randomized Three-Group Effectiveness Study

Michael J. Silverman 한국음악치료학회 2013 한국음악치료학회지 Vol.15 No.2

Psychoeducation is one of the six established evidence-based treatments for psychiatric consumers while quantitative knowledge of social supports constitutes a consequential area of psychoeducation for people diagnosed with mental disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of educational music therapy on quantitative knowledge of social supports in acute care psychiatric patients utilizing a cluster randomized three-group design. Acute psychiatric inpatients (N=65) were cluster randomized by group to one of three conditions: educational music therapy, education, or recreational music therapy. Participants completed brief pre- and posttests within each single treatment condition. Although there were no between-group differences, there were consistent increases and improvements from pre-to posttest concerning all dependent measures. Participants in the educational music therapy condition tended to have the highest scores, regardless of dependent measure.Within the time constraints of a single session, it seems that music therapy can be utilized in an educational context to teach acute care psychiatric patients about social supports. Due to the engaging and creative medium, educational music therapy may be a motivating psychoeducational treatment modality for acute care psychiatric patients. Limitations of the study, implications for clinical practice, and suggestions for future controlled inquiry are provided.

Effects of Educational Music Therapy on Knowledge of Triggers and Coping Skills, Motivation, and Treatment Eagerness in Patients on a Detoxification Unit : A Three-Group Cluster-Randomized Effectiveness Study

Michael J. Silverman 한국음악치료학회 2015 한국음악치료학회지 Vol.17 No.2

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of educational music therapy on knowledge of triggers and coping skills, motivation, and treatment eagerness in patients on a detoxification unit. Participants were cluster randomized to one of three treatment conditions: educational music therapy, education without music, or recreational music therapy. Participants (N=58) completed brief pre- and posttests to assess knowledge of triggers and coping skills, motivation, and treatment eagerness. Educational music therapy participants were involved in a highly structured group songwriting intervention wherein first verse lyrics concerned triggers for using substances and second verse lyrics concerned positive coping skills. Between-group results were not significant for knowledge of triggers for using substances, coping skills, or treatment eagerness. Regardless of treatment condition, there were significant increases from pre- to posttest on perceptions of motivation to reach and maintain sobriety and treatment eagerness. Concerning motivation for reaching and maintaining sobriety, there was a statistically significant posttest between-group difference: Participants in the educational music therapy condition had significantly higher motivation than participants in education without music or recreational music therapy conditions. Highly structured songwriting interventions concerning triggers for using substances and coping skills may be an engaging and effective way to educate and motivate patients in detoxification and other short-term substance abuse rehabilitation settings. Limitations, implications for clinical practice, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Effects of Mode and Rhythm on Working Memory as Measured by Sequential Digit Recall Performance

Michael J. Silverman,Edward Todd Schwartzberg 한국음악치료학회 2014 한국음악치료학회지 Vol.16 No.1

Empirical research is warranted to determine effective ways to utilize paired associate music to facilitate recall and learning. The purpose of this study was to isolate and determine the effects of mode and rhythm on working memory as measured by sequential digit recall performance. Participants were music majors (n=30) and nonmusic majors (n=30) at a large comprehensive university. Participants listened to six different treatment stimuli of monosyllabic digits paired with: (a) a major melody and rhythm, (b) a natural minor melody and rhythm, (c) a mixolydian melody and rhythm, (d) a major melody without rhythm, (e) a natural minor melody without rhythm, and (f) a mixolydian melody without rhythm. Results indicated a significant interaction between mode and rhythm, demonstrating that rhythm facilitated recall most during the natural minor mode condition but not during the mixolydian mode condition. Analyses of estimated marginal means indicated that participants were able to recall information paired with major modes best, followed by minor and mixolydian modes, respectively. Additionally, participants were able to recall information paired with melodies that contained a rhythmic component better than information paired with melodies without a rhythmic component. Although not significant, music majors tended to slightly outperform nonmusic majors. Consistent with previous research, participants were able to recall information in primacy and recency serial positions most accurately. From the results of this study, memory and learning may be enhanced by pairing information with major melodies and rhythm. Limitations, implications for clinical practice, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Immediate Effects of Music Therapy on Fatigue in Hospitalized Patients on a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit: A Pilot Study

Dan Andersen,sarah E. Pitts,Michael J. Silverman 한국음악치료학회 2012 한국음악치료학회지 Vol.14 No.1

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the immediate effects of music therapy on fatigue in patients on a bone marrow transplant unit during a single-session randomized wait-list controlled trial utilizing an established psychometric instrument. Participants (N = 20) were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Participants in the experimental group received music therapy prior to completing the Lee Fatigue Scale (Lee, Hicks, & Nino-Murcia, 1991) while patients in the wait-list control condition received music therapy services after they completed the instrument. There was a significant between-group difference in the fatigue subscale, with experimental participants having less fatigue than control participants. Experimental participants tended to have slightly higher mean energy subscale scores than control participants. From the results of this study, it seems that music therapy can have an immediate impact on fatigue in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants. Limitations and suggestions for future research are provided.

Immediate Effects of Music Therapy on Fatigue in Hospitalized Patients on a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit: A Pilot Study

Dan Andersen,Sarah E. Pitts,Michael J. Silverman 한국음악치료학회 2012 한국음악치료학회지 Vol.14 No.2

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the immediate effects of music therapy on fatigue in patients on a bone marrow transplant unit during a single-session randomized wait-list controlled trial utilizing an established psychometric instrument. Participants (N = 20) were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Participants in the experimental group received music therapy prior to completing the Lee Fatigue Scale (Lee, Hicks, & Nino-Murcia, 1991) while patients in the wait-list control condition received music therapy services after they completed the instrument. There was a significant between-group difference in the fatigue subscale, with experimental participants having less fatigue than control participants. Experimental participants tended to have slightly higher mean energy subscale scores than control participants. From the results of this study, it seems that music therapy can have an immediate impact on fatigue in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants. Limitations and suggestions for future research are provided.