Music therapy for patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplant

Abstract

Objectives. This study examines the short- and long-term QOL benefits of a music therapy intervention for patients recovering from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods. Ninety allogeneic HSCT patients, after transplant, were randomized to receive ISO-principle (i.e., mood matching) based music therapy (MT; n = 29), unstructured music (UM; n = 30), or usual care (UC; n = 31) for four weeks. The ISO principle posits that patients may shift their mood from one state to another by listening to music that is "equal to" the individual's initial mood state and subsequently listening to music selections that gradually shift in tempo and mood to match the patient's desired disposition. Participants in MT and UM groups developed two audio CDs to help them feel more relaxed and energized and were instructed to use the CDs to improve their mood as needed. Short-term effects on mood and long-term effects on QOL were examined. Results. MT and UM participants reported improved mood immediately after listening to CDs; the within-group effect was greater for UM participants compared to MT participants. Participant group was not associated with long-term QOL outcomes. Conclusions. Music listening improves mood acutely but was not associated with long-term benefits in this study.

Figure 1

Least squared means of mood ratings before and after final music session. All means are adjusted for diagnosis, donor cell type, ethnicity, age, and baseline POMS-SF total score. POMS-SF scores were significantly reduced from before to after final music session (session 4) regardless of group. ***P < 0.0001. MT: music therapy; UM: unstructured music.

Figure 2

Least squared means of mood ratings before and after listening to CDs outside of session. All means are adjusted for diagnosis, donor cell type, ethnicity, age, and number of minutes the individual listened to the respective CD. All means improved from before to after listening (P < 0.0001). A significant group-by-time interaction effect was found in Figures (b)–(d) (P < 0.01), though post hoc t-test did not reveal significant group differences before or after listening (P > 0.07). Mood assessed by rating relaxation/tension on a 1 (extremely relaxed) to 10 (extremely tense) scale and happiness/sadness on a 1 (extremely happy) to 10 (extremely sad) scale. MT: music therapy; UM: unstructured music.