Scientific Investigations:
Stress Relief in Pregnancy
Music therapy can reduce psychological stress in pregnant women, research from Taiwan suggests. Some 240 women who were between 18 and 34 weeks pregnant were randomized to music therapy - listening to specially recorded CDs of music chosen to mimic the human heart rate for 30 minutes a day for two weeks - or not to receive treatment. Women listening to the music had a significant 2.15-point reduction on a 30-point perceived stress scale after two weeks, compared with a 0.92 fall in the controls. Music therapy also appeared to have benefits for anxiety and depression scores. (Hunter and Gillian 2009)
Stress Coping Mechanisms in Elderly Adults
Residents (N = 32) of 3 skilled nursing homes participated in a study designed to document the nature of the stressors they experienced and the copingmechanisms they used. Medical issues were the most common stressors. The most common coping responses were prayer, reading, watching television, listening to music, and talking to friends and family. (Pulse 2008)
Intra-operative natural sound decreases salivary amylase activity of patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair under epidural anesthesia
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relaxing effect of music during epidural anesthesia, using patients' salivary amylase activity. Methods: Thirty-two American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I or II patients presenting for inguinal hernia repair under epidural anesthesia were randomly assigned to listen to sounds of a soft wind and a twitter (S group) or to have no sounds (N group). Patients' salivary amylase activity was evaluated on arrival to the operating room and at wound closure. Results: Intra-operative music significantly decreased salivary amylase activity at wound closure in the S group and the activity at wound closure of the S group was significantly smaller than that of the N group.
Conclusion: Intra-operative natural sound significantly decreased salivary amylase activity of patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair under epidural anesthesia. (Arai et. all 2008)
Hospitalized children's mood differences during play and music therapy
Pediatric hospitals are concerned with both the physical and social well-being of their young patients. These institutions often provide play and music therapy to enhance the child's sense of normality. The purpose of this study was to test whether children in a hospital were happier during music rather than play therapy. Sixty children were observed either during play or music therapy. Happiness was operationally defined as the frequency of smiles during a 3 minute period. The results showed that music therapy (M = 12.43, SD = 4.83) led to significantly more smiles than did play therapy (M = 5.83, SD = 3.10). Conclusion: Increasing the amount of time hospitals provide music therapy for child patients may be a way to increase positive effect and ultimately to increase mental and physical well-being in hospitalized children. (Hendon and Bohon 2008)
Drumming through trauma: Music therapy with post-traumatic soldiers
Combat stress reaction is common among soldiers and can develop to a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This distressing condition embraces symptoms such as feelings of loneliness and isolation from society, intrusive memories, outbursts of anger and generalized feelings of helplessness. Drumming has been receiving considerable attention in musictherapy. Only few references relate to such activity among those who suffer from PTSD, and even fewer relate to combat induced post-traumatic syndrome, none of them empirical. The current study presents musictherapy group work with six soldiers diagnosed as suffering from combat or terror related PTSD. Data were collected from digital cameras which filmed the sessions, open-ended in-depth interviews, and a self-report of the therapist. Some reduction in PTSD symptoms was observed following drumming, especially increased sense of openness, togetherness, belonging, sharing, closeness, connectedness and intimacy, as well as achieving a non-intimidating access to traumatic memories, facilitating an outlet for rage and regaining a sense of self-control. (Bensimon and Amir 2008)
Resources:
1. Hunter R and Gillian MC. Stress Coping Mechanisms inElderly Adults: An Initial Study ofRecreational and Other Coping Behaviors in Nursing Home Patients. Adultspan Journal. 8: 43-53, 2009.
2. Stress Relief in Pregnancy. Pulse. 68: 9, 2008.
3. Arai YP, Sakakibara S,Ito A, Ohshima K, Sakakibara T, Nishi T, Hibino S, Niwa S, and Kuniyoshi K. Intra-operative natural sound decreases salivary amylase activity of patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair under epidural anesthesia. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. 52: 987-990, 2008.
4. Hendon C and Bohon LM.Hospitalized children's mood differences during play and music therapy. Child: Care, Health & Development. 34: 141-144, 2008.
5. Bensimon M, Amir D, and Wolf Y.Drumming through trauma: Musictherapy with post-traumatic soldiers. Arts in Psychotherapy. 35: 34-48, 2008.