A new study has found that adolescents and young adults undergoing cancer treatment gain coping skills and resilience-related outcomes when they participate in a therapeutic music process that includes writing song lyrics and producing videos.Published early online in Cancer,a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society,the findings indicate that such music therapy interventions can provide essential psychosocial support to help young patients positively adjust to cancer.
Few interventions target the unique psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer.Joan E.Haase,PhD,RN,FAAN,and Sheri L.Robb,PhD,MT-BC,led a team that tested a music therapy intervention designed to improve resilience in such patients undergoing stem cell transplant treatments for cancer.Resilience is the process of positively adjusting to stressors,including those associated with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The researchers'Therapeutic Music Video intervention was designed to help adolescents and young adults explore and express thoughts and emotions about their disease and treatment that might otherwise go unspoken.Through the creative process of writing song lyrics and producing videos,a board-certified music therapist offers structure and support to help patients reflect on their experiences and identify what is important to them,such as their spirituality,family,and relationships with peers and healthcare providers.As they move through phases of the intervention-including sound recordings,collecting video images,and storyboarding-patients have opportunities to involve family,friends,and healthcare providers in their project,maintaining those important connections during treatment and encouraging communication.Once complete,videos can be shared through video premieres,which allow others an opportunity to gain a better understanding about the patients'perspectives on their cancer,their treatments,and their desires for the future.
For the study,113 patients aged 11 to 24 years who were undergoing stem cell transplant treatments for cancer were randomized to be part of a Therapeutic Music Video intervention group or to be part of a control group that received audiobooks.Participants completed six sessions over three weeks.
