Abstract
Music is known to have the power to induce strong emotions. The present study assessed, based on Electroencephalography (EEG) data, the emotional response of terminally ill cancer patients to a music therapy intervention in a randomized controlled trial. A sample of 40 participants from the palliative care unit in the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona was randomly assigned to two groups of 20. The first group [experimental group (EG)] participated in a session of music therapy (MT), and the second group [control group (CG)] was provided with company. Based on our previous work on EEG-based emotion detection, instantaneous emotional indicators in the form of a coordinate in the arousal-valence plane were extracted from the participants’ EEG data. The emotional indicators were analyzed in order to quantify (1) the overall emotional effect of MT on the patients compared to controls, and (2) the relative effect of the different MT techniques applied during each session. During each MT session, five conditions were considered: I (initial patient’s state before MT starts), C1 (passive listening), C2 (active listening), R (relaxation), and F (final patient’s state). EEG data analysis showed a significant increase in valence (p = 0.0004) and arousal (p = 0.003) between I and F in the EG. No significant changes were found in the CG. This results can be interpreted as a positive emotional effect of MT in advanced cancer patients. In addition, according to pre- and post-intervention questionnaire responses, participants in the EG also showed a significant decrease in tiredness, anxiety and breathing difficulties, as well as an increase in levels of well-being. No equivalent changes were observed in the CG.
Highlights
Music is known to have the power to induce strong emotions and effectively impact the mood of individuals (Sloboda, 1992; Juslin and Västfjäll, 2008; Koelsch, 2010a)
The aim of the present study is to contribute to the understanding of the emotional effect of Music therapy (MT) in the context of palliative care
The research reported in this paper is the result of a collaboration between the Palliative Care Unit (PCU), Oncology Service, Parc de Salut Mar in Barcelona, and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
Summary
Music is known to have the power to induce strong emotions and effectively impact the mood of individuals (Sloboda, 1992; Juslin and Västfjäll, 2008; Koelsch, 2010a). Music therapy (MT) is based on the therapeutic aspects of music. According to the American Music Therapy Association “Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical,. A Randomized Controlled Trial emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals” (American Music Therapy Association, 2017). MT techniques may be classified as either active (where patients participate actively in the process of music creation) or receptive (where patients listen to live or prerecorded music). Techniques normally include relaxation/imaginative interventions (receptive), therapeutic use of songs (active or receptive), and various types of improvisation (active). Interventions are personalized according to the needs of the patient (e.g., according to physical state and psychosocial needs)
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