The present study attempted to examine the effect of music therapy on the improvement of self-esteem and group cohesiveness in the patients with chronic schizophrenia discharged from the hospital. The effects of music therapy, along with their continu...
The present study attempted to examine the effect of music therapy on the improvement of self-esteem and group cohesiveness in the patients with chronic schizophrenia discharged from the hospital. The effects of music therapy, along with their continuation were investigated using the self-rating method.
The subjects were divided into two groups: the music therapy (experimental) group who were engaged in active activities under the therapeutic plans of the therapist, and the musical appreciation (control) group who freely enjoyed music without any therapeutic plans.
Accordingly, the author established the following hypotheses: 1) the self-esteem would be significantly improved in the group of patients who participated in the music therapeutic activities than those who were engaged in musical appreciation activities; 2) the group cohesiveness would be significantly enhanced in the group of patients who participated in the music therapeutic activities than those who were engaged in musical appreciation activities, and; 3) the effects of improved self-esteem and group cohesiveness would be sustained more significantly in the group of patients who participated in the music therapeutic activities than those who were engaged in musical appreciation activities.
The subject of the study is 16 patients with chronic schizophrenia (14 males and 2 females) who are able to carry out self-ratings, and who dont have multiple mental disorder. All the patients participate in the day-time therapeutic programs for social adaptation after discharged from the hospital.
They all completed the Self-Esteem Inventory and the Group Cohesiveness Scale four times during the 8-week experimental period. After those tests, the subjects were randomly divided into the music therapy and musical appreciation groups by the observer of reliability. Two weeks later, the two groups completed the same scales again, and the base line period was decided based on the tests. Later, either music therapy or musical appreciation was conducted for 60 minutes to the two groups in 8 sessions (two sessions in a week for a total of 4 weeks) at the same hour and place. In 2 weeks after the experiment, a new survey was conducted to investigate whether the effects of music therapy and musical appreciation were maintained.
The result shows that both the self-esteem (P<.05) and the group cohesiveness scores (P<.05) of the patients in the music therapy group were improved more significantly than those in the musical appreciation group. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the maintenance of the effects of music activities (P<.05).