Abstract
A study compared occupation-based music interventions with traditional methods to improve chronic pain effects on performance of activities of daily living. Music interventions reduced chronic pain effects on tasks more than traditional methods.
Primary Author and Speaker: Nicolas A. Edma
This study explored the impact of music-based occupational therapy (OT) on chronic pain perception and intrinsic emotions in activities of daily living (ADLs). Chronic pain can impair ADL performance, disrupting one’s quality of life. Music interventions can improve pain intensity and self-efficacy. A mixed-methods cohort study followed participants who underwent traditional OT and music-based OT sessions, where data on pain perception and intrinsic emotions during sessions were collected. Post-study interviews measured participant’s experience during the study. The inclusion criteria are ages over 18 and six months of pain history, with no medication changes during the intervention period. Recruitment involved displaying flyers and therapist referrals. Virtual Analog Scale (VAS) measured pain perception, and the Task Evaluation Questionnaire (TEQ) measured intrinsic emotions. Thematic analysis gathered themes to responses from the post-study interviews. Line charts recorded traditional OT and music-based OT session pain scores. Cohen’s d measured effect sizes for TEQ variables, where between-time differences analyzed pre- and post-intervention TEQ variable scores. Large effect sizes were found in all TEQ variables. The VAS scores effect size between traditional and music-based OT sessions was d = 1.17 (p <.001). Participants reported improved pain perception, activity performance, and emotions; attributing music as a source of encouragement during therapy and daily task participation. Music-based OT provided added benefits in pain relief and improvements in intrinsic emotions ADLs affected by chronic pain compared to traditional OT. Using elements of music during OT sessions can help individuals create self-management and mindfulness techniques, improving pain perception and intrinsic emotions during ADLs. This proposal highlights music’s potential in bettering self-care and mindfulness amid chronic pain, transferrable to many different occupations affected by pain.
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