Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Music imagery for adults with acute leukemia in protective environments: a feasibility study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Patients receiving intensive chemotherapy can experience increased distressed related to both the cancer diagnosis and treatment isolation. If not addressed, distress can lead to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and possible benefits of a music imagery intervention for patients hospitalized in a protective environment for the treatment of acute leukemia or high-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Materials and methods

Adults receiving intensive myelosuppressive chemotherapy in a protective environment were randomized to standard care or standard care plus music imagery. The music imagery sessions occurred twice weekly for up to eight sessions. Patients were encouraged to use the music imagery daily.

Results

The principal criteria of feasibility were rate of consent, rate of completion of scheduled sessions, and rate of questionnaire completion. Forty-nine out of 78 patients consented, a 63% consent rate. Seventy-two percent of all scheduled music imagery sessions were completed. The rate of questionnaire completion was 60% with missing data because of illness severity and early discharge. The principal outcomes of benefit (e.g., efficacy) were positive and negative affects, fatigue, and anxiety. Both groups improved over time on all outcomes (all p < 0.001). However, a subgroup of individuals with low baseline negative affect who received the intervention reported significantly less anxiety at discharge than individuals with low baseline negative affect who did not receive the intervention.

Conclusions

Music imagery is feasible for adults with acute leukemia in protected environments. Patients with lower initial distress may benefit from a music imagery program in terms of reduced anxiety at discharge.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Campbell T (1999) Feelings of oncology patients about being nursed in protective isolation as a consequence of cancer chemotherapy treatment. J Adv Nurs 30(2):439–447

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sasaki T, Akaho R, Sakamaki H et al (2000) Mental disturbances during isolation in bone marrow transplant patients with leukemia. Bone Marrow Transplant 25(3):315–318

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Greenberg DB, Kornblith AB, Herndon JE et al (1997) Quality of life for adult leukemia survivors treated on clinical trials of Cancer and Leukemia Group B during the period 1971–1988: predictors for later psychologic distress. Cancer 80(10):1936–1944

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Meyer T, Mark M (1995) Effects of psychosocial interventions with adult cancer patients: A meta-analysis of randomized experiments. Health Psychol 14:101–108

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Roffe L, Schmidt K, Ernst E (2005) A systematic review of guided imagery as an adjuvant cancer therapy. Psycho-Oncol 14(8):607–617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Thaut MH (2002) Toward a cognition-affect model in neuropsychiatric music therapy. In: Unkefer RF, Thaut MH (eds) Music therapy in the treatment of adults with mental disorders: theoretical bases and clinical interventions. MMB Music, St. Louis, pp 86–103

    Google Scholar 

  7. McKinney CH (1990) The effect of music on imagery. J Music Ther 27:34–46

    Google Scholar 

  8. McKinney CH, Tims FC (1995) Differential effects of selected classical music on the imagery of high versus low imagers: two studies. J Music Ther 32:22–45

    Google Scholar 

  9. Quittner A, Glueckauf R (1983) The facilitative effects of music on visual imagery: a multiple measures approach. J Ment Imag 7:105–119

    Google Scholar 

  10. Band J (1996) The influence of selected music and structured vs. unstructured inductions on mental imagery. Doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina

  11. Burns DS (2000) The effect of classical music on absorption and control of mental imagery. J Assoc Music Imag 7:39–50

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kerr T, Walsh J, Marshall A (2001) Emotional change processes in music-assisted reframing. J Music Ther 38(3):193–211, Fall

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. McKinney CH, Antoni MH, Kumar AM, Kumar M (1995) Effects of guided imagery and music on depression and beta-endorphin levels in healthy adults: a pilot study. J Assoc Music Imag 4:67–78

    Google Scholar 

  14. McKinney CH, Antoni MH, Kumar M, Tims FC, McCabe PM (1997) Effects of guided imagery and music (GIM) therapy on mood and cortisol in healthy adults. Health Psychol 16(4):390–400, Jul

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Russell LA (1992) Comparisons of cognitive, music, and imagery techniques on anxiety reduction with university students. J Coll Stud Dev 33:516–523

    Google Scholar 

  16. Hammer SE (1996) The effects of guided imagery through music on state and trait anxiety. J Music Ther 33:47–70

    Google Scholar 

  17. Burns DS (2001) The effect of the bonny method of guided imagery and music on the mood and life quality of cancer patients. J Music Ther 38(1):51–65, Spring

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. CBMT. The certification board for music therapists. Available at: http://www.cbmt.org/. Accessed July 17, 2007

  19. Grocke DE, Wigram T (2007) Receptive methods in music therapy: techniques and clinical applications for music therapy clinicians, educators and students, 1st edn. Jessica Kingsley, London

    Google Scholar 

  20. Summer L (1994) Considering classical music for use in psychiatric music therapy. Music Ther Perspect 12(2):130–133

    Google Scholar 

  21. Summer L (1992) Music: the aesthetic elixer. J Assoc Music Imag 1:43–53

    Google Scholar 

  22. Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A (1988) Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol 54(6):1063–1070

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Cella D (1998) Factors influencing quality of life in cancer patients: anemia and fatigue. Semin Oncol 25(3 Suppl 7):43–46, June

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Spielberger CD (1983) Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory. Consulting Psychologists, Palo Alto, CA

    Google Scholar 

  25. Lee SJ, Loberiza FR, Antin JH et al (2005) Routine screening for psychosocial distress following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 35(1):77–83, Jan

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Montgomery C, Pocock M, Titley K, Lloyd K (2003) Predicting psychological distress in patients with leukaemia and lymphoma. J Psychosom Res 54(4):289–292, Apr

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Schumacher A, Kessler T, Buchner T, Wewers D, van de Loo J (1998) Quality of life in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia receiving intensive and prolonged chemotherapy—a longitudinal study. Leukemia 12(4):586–592

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Persson L, Hallberg IR, Ohlsson O (1997) Survivors of acute leukaemia and highly malignant lymphoma–retrospective views of daily life problems during treatment and when in remission. J Adv Nurs 25(1):68–78, Jan

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Lane D (1991) The effect of a single music therapy session on hospitalized children as measured by salivary immunoglobulin A, speech pause time, and a patient opinion Likert scale. Dissertation, Cleveland, Case Western Reserve

  30. Cassileth BR, Vickers AJ, Magill LA (2003) Music therapy for mood disturbance during hospitalization for autologous stem cell transplantation: a randomized controlled trial. Cancer 98(12):2723–2729, Dec 15

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Zittoun R, Achard S, Ruszniewski M (1999) Assessment of quality of life during intensive chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation. Psycho-oncology 8(1):64–73, Jan–Feb

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Kwekkeboom KL, Kneip J, Pearson L (2003) A pilot study to predict success with guided imagery for cancer pain. Pain Manag Nurs 4(3):112–123, Sep

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Cimprich B (1995) Symptom management: loss of concentration. Sem Oncol Nurs 11(4):279–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Standley J (2000) Music research in medical/dental treatment: an update of a prior meta-analysis. In: Smith DS (ed) Effectiveness of music therapy procedures: documentation of research and clinical practice, 3rd edn. American Music Therapy Association, Silver Springs, MD, pp 1–64

    Google Scholar 

  35. Burns DS, Sledge RB, Fuller LA, Daggy JK, Monahan PO (2005) Cancer patients’ interest and preferences for music therapy. J Music Ther 42(3):185–199, Fall

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Pelletier CL (2004) The effect of music on decreasing arousal due to stress: a meta-analysis. J Music Ther 41(3):192–214

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The project described was supported by Grant number 5F32AT001144-02 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Burdette-Kunkel Award from the Walther Cancer Institute. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University School of Music, IUPUI, 535 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Debra S. Burns

  2. Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Faouzi Azzouz, Patrick O. Monahan & Larry D. Cripe

  3. Walther Cancer Institute, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Renata Sledge

  4. Clarian Health Partners, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Cheryl Rutledge & Katie Hincher

Authors
  1. Debra S. Burns
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Faouzi Azzouz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Renata Sledge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Cheryl Rutledge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Katie Hincher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Patrick O. Monahan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Larry D. Cripe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Debra S. Burns.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Burns, D.S., Azzouz, F., Sledge, R. et al. Music imagery for adults with acute leukemia in protective environments: a feasibility study. Support Care Cancer 16, 507–513 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-007-0330-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-007-0330-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation