The effectiveness of live music intervention on psychological distress among adolescent and young adult patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Objective

To explore the effects of live music to decrease psychological distress in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Method

A quasi-experimental study was conducted. Sixty patients undergoing HSCT were divided into two groups, receiving either 4 week of live music (n = 31) or standard care (n = 29). Psychological distress, anxiety, the severity of symptom clusters and symptom interference were measured.

Results

When compared with the immediately and 1 month after intervention, patients in LM intervention group had significantly lower psychological distress and anxiety level than wait-list group. AYA undergoing HSCT reported significantly milder general symptom cluster and neurological symptom cluster at T3 than at baseline.

Conclusions

Live music intervention showed a positive effect on relieving psychological distress and anxiety in AYA patients undergoing HSCT. However, further researches are warranted to explore the effects of live music intervention on symptom cluster.

Keywords:

• Anxiety
• hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
• live music
• psychological distress

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the patients and participating therapists and institutes.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The Wisdom Accumulation and Talent Cultivation Project of the Third Xiangya Hosipital of Central South University (NO. YX202006) and The National Natural Science Foundation of China (82073409).