Effects of a music therapy intervention on quality of life and distress in women with metastatic breast cancer

Abstract

This study examined the effects of music therapy (MT), immediate and over time, on patients' psychological functioning, quality of life, and physiologic stress arousal. This intervention, whereby patients use music strategies to cope with cancer-related stressors, is based on a transactional stress-coping framework. Using a longitudinal, randomized controlled design, 70 women with metastatic breast cancer received either MT or usual care. The MT consisted of three individual sessions led by a music therapist. Psychological symptoms were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and quality of life with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General plus a a Spirituality subscale at baseline approximately 6 weeks and 3 months later. Visual analog scales, heart rate, and blood pressure were assessed in the MT group immediately before and after individual session. Significant immediate effects of MT were observed: relaxation, p = < .00001; comfort, p = < . 00001; happiness, p = < .00001; heart rate, p = .0003; although no significant differences between conditions were found over time. A high attrition rate underscored the complexities inherent in conducting intervention research with advanced cancer patients.