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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Jun 11;19(1):73.
doi: 10.1186/s13014-024-02460-3.

Impact of background music listening on anxiety in cancer patients undergoing initial radiation therapy: a randomized clinical trial

Huei-Fan Yang  1   2 , Wen-Wei Chang  3 , Ying-Hsiang Chou  1   4 , Jing-Yang Huang  5   6 , Yu-Shiun Liao  7 , Ting-En Liao  7 , Hsien-Chun Tseng  1   8 , Shih-Tsung Chang  1 , Hsin Lin Chen  1 , Ya-Fang Ke  1   2 , Pei-Fang Tsai  1   2 , Hsiu-Man Chan  1   2 , Bo-Jiun Chang  1 , Yi-Ting Hwang  1 , Hsueh-Ya Tsai  2 , Yueh-Chun Lee  9   10
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Impact of background music listening on anxiety in cancer patients undergoing initial radiation therapy: a randomized clinical trial

Huei-Fan Yang et al. Radiat Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT) often experience anxiety, which may jeopardize the treatment success. The efficacy of music interventions in reducing anxiety remains contentious. This randomized trial aimed to evaluate the impact of music listening on anxiety symptoms in patients undergoing initial RT.

Methods: First-time RT patients were randomly allocated to experimental and control groups. The Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5), Distress Thermometer (DT), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI-C) were administered pre- and post-RT. Changes in physiological anxiety symptoms were monitored over 10 consecutive days starting from the first day of RT. The experimental group received music during RT; the control group did not. The generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the pre-post difference in the BSRS-5, DT, and BAI-C scores between the music intervention and control group.

Results: This study included 50 patients each in the experimental and control groups. BSRS-5 and DT scores were significantly reduced in the experimental group post-RT (p = 0.0114 and p = 0.0023, respectively). When music listening was discontinued, these scores rebounded. While the posttest BAI-C score was significantly lower in the experimental group (p < 0.0001), the pre-post difference between the two groups was not significant (p = 0.0619). On cessation of music listening, the BAI-C score also rebounded.

Conclusions: For cancer patients undergoing initial RT, music listening intervention significantly reduced anxiety symptoms measured using the BSRS-5, DT, and BAI-C scores after two weeks. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of music listening intervention in reducing anxiety symptoms, thereby potentially improving the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing RT.

Keywords: Anxiety symptoms; Cancer patients; Music listening intervention; Radiation therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The between-group and within-group difference of BAI-C. BD1, the difference of BAI-C between music group and non-music group during pre-test, and compared by Mann-Whitney U test. BD2, the difference of BAI-C between music group and non-music group during post-test, and compared by Mann-Whitney U test (BD2-BD1), the pre-post difference of BAI-C between music group and non-music group, and estimated by generalized linear mixed model. WD, the difference of BAI-C in music group after withdraw the background music listening compared with pre-test, and estimated by Wilcoxon’s signed rank test
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The between-group and within-group difference of DT. BD1, the difference of DT between music group and non-music group during pre-test, and compared by Mann-Whitney U test. BD2, the difference of DT between music group and non-music group during post-test, and compared by Mann-Whitney U test. (BD2-BD1), the pre-post difference of DT between music group and non-music group, and estimated by generalized linear mixed model. WD, the difference of DT in music group after withdraw the background music listening compared with pre-test, and estimated by Wilcoxon’s signed rank test
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The between-group and within-group difference of BSRS-5. BD1, the difference of BSRS-5 between music group and non-music group during pre-test, and compared by Mann-Whitney U test. BD2, the difference of BSRS-5 between music group and non-music group during post-test, and compared by Mann-Whitney U test. (BD2-BD1), the pre-post difference of BSRS-5 between music group and non-music group, and estimated by generalized linear mixed model. WD, the difference of BSRS-5 in music group after withdraw the background music listening compared with pre-test, and estimated by Wilcoxon’s signed rank test
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The daily change of SBP, DBP, HR, and SPO2 after radiotherapy. The difference between music group and non-music group within 10 days after first, and the daily change between 11–20 days were estimated when withdraw the background music listening
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