Comparing Three Music Therapy Interventions for Anxiety and Relaxation in Youth With Amplified Pain

Abstract

Research in pediatric hospitals has shown that active music engagement, preferred music listening, and music-assisted relaxation can decrease anxiety and increase relaxation responses. However, there is little research on the use of music therapy with pediatric chronic pain conditions such as amplified pain syndromes. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of 3 specific music therapy interventions (active music engagement, live patient-selected music, and music-assisted relaxation) on anxiety and relaxation levels in youth (ages 10–18) participating in a 40 hr per week hospital-based intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment program. A sample of 48 patients participated in this study which utilized a 3-period, 3-treatment cross-over design with 3 interventions delivered in a quasi-randomized order determined by when the patients started the treatment program. State anxiety was measured via the state form of the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety for Children and relaxation scores were assessed with a Visual Analog Scale. Statistically significant changes were found in anxiety and relaxation outcomes across all interventions provided. Results suggest that music therapy services (using active music engagement, live patient-selected music, and music-assisted relaxation) may be an effective modality to decrease anxiety and increase relaxation levels in pediatric patients with amplified pain syndromes.

Music therapy for anxiety disorders in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review

“…All six studies showed significant improvements in anxiety for adolescents and young adults receiving music therapy [14,15,16,17,18,19].…”

“…In the quasi-RCT examining middle school students in a summer program by Travis et al, the researchers found significantly lower post-treatment anxiety in Hip Hop-Empowerment and Therapeutic Beat Making group compared to the non-intervention group [16]. In the quasi-experimental crossover study of 10 to 18year-olds in a pain treatment program, Scheufler et al tested three music therapy interventions (active music engagement, live patient-selected music, and music-assisted relaxation); all three interventions led to significant anxiety improvements (p <0.001) with very large effect sizes [17]. The quasi-experimental study of performing arts college students by Hernandez-Ruiz showed significantly improved anxiety scores after a five-minute online music experience [18].…”

“…We identified seven distinct musical interventions used to treat anxiety in adolescents and young adults. Three studies employed active interventions: active music engagement (AME) [17]; a Build Your Own Theme Song app (BYOTS) [15]; and Hip Hop, Empowerment, and Therapeutic Beat Making (HHE-TBM) [16]. Three passive interventions were employed among two studies: receptive musical experience based on the therapeutic function of music (TFM) [18], receptive music-assisted relaxation (MAR) and live patientselected music (LPSM) [17].…”

“…Three studies employed active interventions: active music engagement (AME) [17]; a Build Your Own Theme Song app (BYOTS) [15]; and Hip Hop, Empowerment, and Therapeutic Beat Making (HHE-TBM) [16]. Three passive interventions were employed among two studies: receptive musical experience based on the therapeutic function of music (TFM) [18], receptive music-assisted relaxation (MAR) and live patientselected music (LPSM) [17]. Two studies integrated active and passive methods with individual and group music therapy [14], [19].…”

The Effect of Music Therapy on Pain, Anxiety and Vital Signs in Patients Undergoing Spinal Anaesthesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…People, who listened to music, were relaxed and felt more powerful (Chou & Lin, 2006). Music therapy has been reported in studies to be an effective method to reduce anxiety and increase relaxation levels (Scheufler et al, 2020). The benefits of music therapy include regulation of blood pressure, reduction of heart rate (Liu & Petrini, 2015), controlling respiration rate and elevation of oxygen saturation (Allen et al, 2001;Bae et al, 2014).…”