Abstract
ObjectiveThe analgesic effect of music has been recognized for pain relief, but individual differences and adjuvant methods are poorly understood. This study employed a cold-pressor task (CPT) to observe the effects of music (without considering personal preferences) on pain experience and how this is affected by individuals’ general (and pain-specific) anxiety symptomology.MethodsFifty participants were each presented with three conditions (randomized into different orders): music-listening, news-listening, and no sound (control). Pain responses, including pain tolerance time (PT), pain intensity (PI), and pain unpleasantness (PU), were assessed using CPT and compared with a 3x3 crossover design. Participants also completed the anxiety sensitivity index (ASI-16) and pain anxiety symptom scale (PASS-20).ResultsCPT pain responses during the music intervention were significantly different from responses during the news intervention and control conditions, respectively. Among participants with normal anxiety levels, pain responses during the music condition differed significantly from the news and control groups; this was not the case for the anxiety risk group. Pain responses during the music condition for those with normal levels of pain-specific anxiety differed significantly from the control, but this was not the case for the risk group.ConclusionsMusic appears to influence diminished pain responses relative to the absence of an intervention. However, this was not the case when individuals listened to news stories. These effects were more robust for individuals experiencing normal levels of general and pain-specific anxiety. Thus, music (even outside one’s own preferences) was an effective adjuvant method for managing pain, especially among those without significant anxiety symptomology.
Highlights
Pain is an uncomfortable sensory and emotional experience, which is typically caused by actual tissue injury or mental stress [1, 2]
cold-pressor task (CPT) pain responses during the music intervention were significantly different from responses during the news intervention and control conditions, respectively
The analgesic effect of music based on anxiety and pain symptomology specific anxiety
Summary
Pain is an uncomfortable sensory and emotional experience, which is typically caused by actual (or potential) tissue injury or mental stress [1, 2]. Music has been investigated as a potentially viable non-pharmacological treatment for alleviating pain [7,8,9]. Listening to music along with taking oral sedatives during cataract surgery reduced anxiety and enhanced comfort [10], diminishing the experience of pain during the surgery [11]. Several studies have examined music as an adjuvant method and observed that music helps alleviate painful conditions. Most studies typically considered participants’ music preferences to act as a key component for effectively decreasing pain [15,16,17,18]
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