Effects of Educational Music Therapy on State Hope for Recovery in Acute Care Mental Health Inpatients: A Cluster-Randomized Effectiveness Study

Comparing Educational Music Therapy Interventions via Stages of Recovery with Adults in an Acute Care Mental Health Setting: A Cluster-Randomized Pilot Effectiveness Study

The purpose of this cluster-randomized pilot effectiveness study was to compare two different group-based educational music therapy interventions with a control condition as measured by the stage model of recovery in adults on an acute care mental health unit. Participants (N = 69) were cluster-randomized to one of three single-session conditions: educational lyric analysis (ELA), educational songwriting (ESW), or control. ELA and ESW conditions targeted motivations for and factors contributing to recovery. Results indicated no significant between-group difference. However, ELA and ESW conditions tended to have slightly more favorable stage of recovery mean scores than the control condition. Generally, educational music therapy may be clinically relevant for impacting stage of recovery within the temporal parameters of a single session. As ELA and ESW conditions had similar results, the specific educational music therapy intervention did not affect results. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Music Therapy for Coping Self-Efficacy in an Acute Mental Health Setting: A Randomized Pilot Study

For adults with mental illness, coping skills represent an integral component of illness management and recovery (IMR) programs. Music therapy can be used to target IMR but empirical research specific to coping is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine if educational music therapy can influence coping self-efficacy in acute care mental health inpatients. Adults on an acute care mental health unit (N = 92) were cluster-randomized to one of three single-session conditions over 24 group-based sessions: educational lyric analysis, educational songwriting, or control. Although results were not significant, both educational music therapy conditions tended to have more favorable coping self-efficacy subscale means than the control condition but there were negligible differences between lyric analysis and songwriting conditions. Results can be considered clinically relevant within the temporal parameters of single-session therapy typical in acute care settings. Limitations, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research are included.

Effects of Mandala Art Therapy on Subjective Well-being, Resilience, and Hope in Psychiatric Inpatients

PURPOSE

This study investigated the effects of Mandala art therapy on subjective well-being, resilience, and hope among psychiatric inpatients.

METHODS

Recruited 36 people who had been treated as inpatients in a psychiatric ward at a university hospital in Seoul, South Korea, and divided them evenly into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was required to attend a total of 8 sessions of Mandala art therapy, twice per week, between August 11 and October 30, 2015; measures of the three main variables were administered at pre-test and post-test in both groups.

RESULTS

Hope significantly increased in both groups, but the overall increase was greater in the experimental group (mean score of 9.5 and 15.3 at pre- and post-test, respectively) than in the control group (10.9 and 11.9).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that Mandala art therapy can have a positive effect on the hope of psychiatric inpatients. However, further research concerning its effects on subjective well-being and resilience, as well as other psychological constructs, is warranted to better understand the effects of Mandala art therapy on psychiatric inpatients.