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The Effect of Therapeutic Music Playlists on Symptoms of Anxiety: A Clinical Trial

This is a pilot study examining the comparative effectiveness of self-administered therapeutic playlists in the treatment of anxiety symptoms. Interventions examined during this study include the musical contour regulation playlist (MCR-P) and a one-directional mood vectoring playlist (MV-P). Measures included the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a Likert-type scale for participants to rate their pre- to post-listening levels of anxiety. At the conclusion of the study, participants took part in an interview which were analyzed for data that could help inform for whom the MCR-P intervention would be best suited. Both interventions discussed in this study are grounded in existing research in the fields of music therapy, psychotherapy, and neuroscience, and all playlists are personalized to take into account the musical preferences of each participant. Findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between use of the MCR-P and a reduction in symptoms of state and trait anxiety scores in participants with pretest trait anxiety scores at or above the 85th percentile (state p = 0.023; trait p = 0.037), and state anxiety scores in all participants (state p = 0.026). Analysis of all participant scores also indicated that there was a significant relationship between use of the MCR-P and a reduction in pre- to post-listening anxiety (p = 0.029) with greater effectiveness in participants with pretest trait anxiety scores at or above the 85th percentile (p = 0.01). Findings must be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, but they indicate that this may be an effective tool to assist patients in the management of anxiety symptoms.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:pacific.edu/oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-4732
Date01 January 2021
CreatorsBautch, Katie A.
PublisherScholarly Commons
Source SetsUniversity of the Pacific
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceUniversity of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

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