Music-mechanisms at the core of music therapy: Towards a format for a description of music therapy micro-interventions

The effects of music-based interventions on behavioural and psychological symptoms of people living with dementia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis protocol

OBJECTIVES

People living with dementia often experience behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which severely affect their well-being during the course of the disease. Particularly for BPSD outcomes, there is a high demand for increasing the evidence-based knowledge of non-pharmacological approaches, such as music-based interventions. Although previous reviews emphasize the potential effects of music-based interventions in people with dementia, they cover a wide range of different interventions and outcomes.

METHOD

Therefore, this systematic review (SR) and network meta-analysis (NMA) aims to not only investigate the efficacy of music-based interventions on BPSD, but also to compare the impact of different types of music-based interventions on outcomes. Preferred reporting items for SR and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) and the PRISMA NMA extension were followed. Several databases will be searched from inception to the date the search will be performed, for relevant randomized or non-randomized controlled trials comparing a music-based intervention with treatment as usual, active controls, or another music-based intervention. Multivariate pairwise meta-analyses will be conducted for each outcome. NMA based on a frequentist random-effects model will be used to estimate the comparative effects of each type of music-based intervention and related components across outcomes. Heterogeneity will be investigated by meta-regression models.

CONCLUSION

Based on our knowledge, this may be the first SR and NMA study to compare the efficacy of different types of music-based interventions. In addition, combined with our multivariate analysis approach, it will allow us to identify potential effect modifiers in music-based intervention for treating BPSD.

Parenting in the Face of Trauma: Music Therapy to Support Parent-Child Dyads Affected by War and Displacement

BACKGROUND

The literature highlights the profound psychological impact of war on children, families, and communities, emphasizing the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and other symptoms among affected individuals. Interventions, such as Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and music therapy, show promise in mitigating trauma effects, underscoring the need for holistic approaches that address familial and community dynamics alongside individual well-being.

METHODS

Aiming to explore the influences of dyadic music therapy sessions on parents' capacity to support their children, this study involved four families displaced from their home-kibbutz as result of a terrorist attack. All dyads participated in music therapy sessions with a focus on parent-child interactions and trauma processing (CPP informed). Embedded in a qualitative, phenomenological approach, the research utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and micro-analytic methods to explore meaningful moments in the music therapy sessions.

RESULTS

Findings identified four central categories: (1) Discovering the child's grounding song: identifying resources; (2) Musical improvisation sets the grounds for parent-child mutual recognition of the child's traumatic experience; (3) Musical performance empowers child and parent; (4) A sense of agency is gained through controlling the musical environment.

CONCLUSIONS

The significance of restoring the children's freedom of play, the parents' sense of competency, and of enhancing families' capacity to connect to their traumatic experiences through the musical environment is discussed.

Effects of Integrated Music-Video Therapy on Pain and Anxiety During High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine the effect of integrated music-video therapy on pain and anxiety of gynecologic cancer patients at different stages of brachytherapy.

DESIGN

This study used a single-group crossover design.

METHODS

Data on 27 patients diagnosed with gynecologic cancer and receiving brachytherapy were collected from February 2018 to January 2019. Participants' pain and anxiety levels were measured four times using a numerical rating scale (before, during, after applicator insertion, and during the radiation). In addition, vital signs were measured three times (before, after applicator insertion, and during radiation). Data were analyzed for frequency and percentage. The normality and homogeneity of the dependent variables were tested using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Mann-Whitney U tests, respectively.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found between the experimental and control phases in pain degree during radiation exposure (Z = -1.68, p = .046) and anxiety degree during applicator insertion (Z=-4.42, p = .000), after applicator insertion (Z = -4.85, p = .000), and during radiation exposure (Z = -5.38, p = .000). However, no significant difference was found between the changes in blood pressure, pulse, and respiration at any time point.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest the need to actively employ integrated music-video therapy to reduce acute pain and anxiety in gynecologic cancer patients undergoing brachytherapy.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

This study provides insights into the methodological approaches for implementing integrated music-video therapy in clinical practice, targeting the reduction of acute pain and anxiety triggered by gynecological surgeries and procedures.

Music Therapy and Korsakoff's Syndrome: The State of the Art

In this perspective article, the authors give insight into the beneficial effects and the current developments in music therapy for patients with Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) in the Netherlands. Music may be the key to distracting patients from negative moods, to help them express emotions and to teach them new skills on physical, psychosocial and cognitive levels. This may lead to improving the quality of life of patients with KS. Emphasis is placed on the personal experience of the authors and on the future directions in the field. Their experience, as well as the experience of music therapy colleagues working in the field with the same target population (joined together in the Music Therapy Korsakoff Expertise Group), is situated in the context of existing literature and showcases current developments in the specific field of music therapy and KS. Since literature on this specific topic is limited, the authors allowed themselves to delve into somewhat older but still leading and representative literature. There is still little knowledge on how music therapy may contribute to reducing the impairments patients with KS suffer and to improving their quality of life in general. Using the Empathic Directive Approach (EDA) as the starting point, the authors elaborate on different potential approaches and interventions. With this article, the authors aim to gain more insight into the potential role of the music therapist by highlighting music-therapeutic micro-interventions and to provide recommendations for future directions on how to integrate music therapy in the treatment of patients with Korsakoff's syndrome.

A Comprehensive Evaluation Method for the Effectiveness of Public Health-Oriented Music Performance Art Based on Blockchain Technology

Music can promote the development of physical and mental health, and its therapeutic utility has begun to receive widespread attention from scholars, who have systematically studied the therapeutic methods, processes, and utility of music with the theme of music therapy, and the topic has been extended from music therapy at the individual level to the public health domain. Therefore, it is worthwhile to further explore how the effectiveness of music as a performing arts activity in the public health domain is evaluated. However, most of the current studies focus on the evaluation of the effects of music on individual physical and mental health, and few involve the evaluation of music performing arts activities in the public health domain, which greatly hinders the potential of music performing arts applications in the public health domain. Therefore, this study proposes a dynamic and comprehensive evaluation scheme based on the cross-chain technology in blockchain and establishes a cross-chain-based information exchange model for the feasibility of information exchange between music performing arts and public health. The research findings can not only provide theoretical guidance for the formulation of public health policies but also provide technical support for the comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of music performing arts activities.