The effect of music on pain relief and relaxation of the terminally ill

Journal/Book: Journal of Music Therapy. 1986; 23: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. National Association for Music Therapy. 10-24.

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of music on terminally ill patients' perceived degree of pain relief, physical comfort, relaxation, and contentment. The subjects were white, English- and French-speaking terminally-ill patients; four males and five females partici- pated in the study. The four dependent variables were self-recorded by the subjects on a modified Scott-Huskisson graphic rating scale under three condi- tions: (a) no intervention, (b) background sound, and (c) music. Each condi- tion was presented for fifteen minutes twice daily for two days in a counter- balanced design. A Friedman Two-Way Analysis of Variance indicated no signifi- cant difference in the dependent variables under the experimental conditions; contentment score differences, however, approached significance. Further results relevaled no significant difference according to severity of illness; however, graphic analysis of individual responses indicated that music may have been effective.

Keyword(s): music, pain, relaxation-training, terminal-illness, contentment, physical-comfort.

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