Journal of Music Therapy最新文献

Secure attachment in early childhood is important for wellbeing throughout life. Music interventions show promise for supporting early parent-child relationships; however, their effects on attachment security are unclear as few music intervention evaluations have measured attachment outcomes. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize published empirical literature examining the effects of music interventions on relationship quality between typically developing children aged birth to 5 years old and their parents. The study aimed to: (1) establish whether music interventions were associated with changes in attachment-related outcomes; (2) identify music intervention characteristics likely to support secure attachment; and (3) elucidate processes through which music techniques may have contributed to attachment-related changes. Included interventions focused on the parent-child dyad, involved a substantial music component delivered by a music therapist or an allied health professional, and assessed and/or described relationship outcome/s. A total of 23 studies describing 15 unique interventions met criteria for inclusion and represented approximately 808-815 parent-child dyads. Mothers were the most common caregivers. All interventions demonstrated some effectiveness, including in attachment-related outcomes such as bonding, emotional co-regulation, and parental sensitivity. All interventions involved singing, suggesting it may be especially suitable for supporting parent-child attachment; other music techniques used included instrument playing and movement to music. Findings suggested that music interventions may facilitate attachment-related changes through intervening in psychological processes, including parental sensitivity, reflective functioning, and emotional co-regulation. Future research should develop music interventions aiming specifically to support attachment quality, and music intervention evaluations should use validated attachment assessments and longitudinal study designs.

Although changing industries is common for many professionals, there is a lack of research regarding why music therapists have left the profession. The purpose of this phenomenological investigation was to explore why music therapists in the United States left the profession and understand how music therapy academic and clinical training might be applied across a range of occupational opportunities. We interviewed eight music therapists who had worked in and left the profession for employment in other industries. We used interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyze transcripts and incorporated member checking and trustworthiness to verify our findings. The first theme described how there were multiple factors that contributed to the decision to leave the music therapy profession. The second theme described how participants grappled with the decision to leave the music therapy profession. Regarding why music therapists left the profession and how their education and training were related to their new industry, we used a modified social ecological model to depict four superordinate themes (supported by 11 themes) that described (1) individual and interpersonal factors contributing to the need for occupational change; (2) music therapy skills that facilitated occupational change; (3) unmet professional expectations that contributed to occupational change; and (4) desired changes to the music therapy curriculum for greater career flexibility. Constituting an idiosyncratic process for each participant, leaving the music therapy profession was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Implications for education and greater career flexibility, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Music therapy has been described as a beneficial intervention for people with dementia. To provide a music therapy outcome measure, McDermott et al. (2015) developed the Music in Dementia Assessment Scales (MiDAS). The preliminary original validation indicated that MiDAS had acceptable to good psychometric properties. This study aimed to present the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the MIDAS to the Spanish language and to show some validity sources using the Spanish version of the scale. MiDAS was adapted following the guidelines of Beaton et al. (2000), Muñiz et al. (2013) and Ridder et al. (2015), A psychometric validation study was conducted with a sample of 80 care home residents with moderate-severe dementia. Acceptable reliability values according to Cronbach's alpha were obtained, as was good interobserver reliability at one rating time point, based on Kendall's W test. The concurrent criterion validity values were positive, particularly in terms of the correlation coefficients of the criterion measure (specifically, the QoL-AD measures) and the item analysis, as shown by the correlation matrices. A one-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) did not indicate a good fit for the obtained models, but acceptable and optimal values were observed for various parameters. The results indicate the usefulness of this tool, with sources of evidence of validity and reliability, although it is necessary to note the limitations of some of the results, as in the construct validity analysis. The MiDAS-ESP is a useful tool in clinical practice that can be used for measuring the effect of music therapy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, music therapists transitioned services from in-person to telehealth due to health and safety concerns. Though online delivery of music therapy services for autistic individuals occurred prior to 2020, the number of North American music therapists using telehealth with autistic clients rose substantially during the pandemic. The current paper's objective was to delineate music therapists' perceptions regarding factors that helped or hindered autistic persons' engagement in online music therapy sessions. In total, 192 participants completed the survey. Qualitative content analysis of an open-ended question identified seven overarching themes regarding the benefits and challenges of telehealth music therapy for autistic clients. Findings were used to create a screening tool to help music therapists evaluate autistic persons' suitability for telehealth and meet the needs of those who can benefit from telehealth music therapy.

Patient-preferred music is often copyrighted music; prior research, however, has paid scant attention to music therapists' understanding and use of copyrighted music. To fill a gap in the literature, this exploratory study sought to understand music therapists' experiences and perceptions about permissible therapeutic uses of copyrighted music. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 board-certified music therapists working in the United States. Collectively, these participants had over 300 years of professional experience. The interview transcripts were analyzed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified: (1) copyright concerns created a complex psychological burden; (2) therapeutic needs warranted use of copyrighted music; (3) perceptions varied on permissible therapeutic practices using copyrighted music; (4) varied sources informed an understanding of copyright law; and (5) copyright clarity was needed to reduce the psychological burden. These themes suggest that psychological stress was produced by copyright uncertainty coupled with attempts by participants to satisfy diverse interests and protect multiple stakeholders, including patients, employers, their profession, and the law. Our findings suggest that a lack of clarity about permissible uses of copyrighted music can complicate music therapists' decision-making about appropriate therapeutic interventions. Clarity on permissible therapeutic uses of music could yield benefits for music therapists, patients, and the community.

Parent coaching of music interventions is emerging as a viable model for families with young autistic children, yet recruitment difficulties have been apparent in previous studies. Understanding parent perspectives of early intervention services is critical to ensure that interventions are acceptable, feasible, and effective for all family members. In order to understand possible parental resistance to this type of parent education, we explored perspectives regarding music therapy, research, and parent coaching in parents of young autistic children. Fourteen parents attended virtual focus groups to discuss their experiences. We used a descriptive phenomenological approach to uncover the essence of their experience. Our findings indicate that, contrary to our preconceptions, participants did not show negative dispositions towards music therapy, research, or parent coaching. Instead, most participants had very little or no knowledge of music therapy services. They had limited experience with research in general, and only two participants had experienced music therapy directly. Several participants had varying amounts of experience with parent participation or parent coaching outside of music therapy and shared positive experiences with it. Parents seemed willing and eager to learn music strategies to support their children and saw value in the use of music for their child's development. First-contact providers (i.e., early interventionists and diagnosticians) and social media seem influential in parents' decision-making as they navigate early intervention services soon after diagnosis. Music therapy organizations are encouraged to design targeted efforts to make information on music therapy available through these sources.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) improves emotion regulation by building skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare a DBT skills group with a combined DBT skills and music therapy (MT) group on participant outcomes of attendance, participation, skill practice, and skill knowledge, as well as determine feasibility of study procedures. We used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control-group design with all groups co-led by a psychologist and a music therapist. Clinicians facilitated twice weekly 45-min groups in 12-week cycles for a total of eight groups over 2 years. The groups alternated DBT-only and DBT+MT; participant data were analyzed for their first cycle attended. The DBT-only group followed a standard DBT skills training format, whereas the DBT+MT group included music therapy interventions as group exercises. Participants (N = 26) were adults with serious mental illness referred to the inpatient psychosocial rehabilitation group (PSR) at a state psychiatric hospital. Participants completed a demographic form, diary cards, and exit interview; clinicians recorded attendance and session participation. Participants in the DBT+MT condition had significantly higher participation levels, slightly higher average attendance, submitted more diary cards, and included more feeling statements than the DBT-only condition. Although interpretations should be approached with caution, the pilot study intervention shows promise. Overall, this study could be implemented as intended under close monitoring, with minor modifications to assist with recruitment and data collection. Modifications, clinical implications, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic affected music therapy education, with many university programs instantly shifting from in-person to remote online teaching. As literature related to various aspects of COVID-19 is emerging, none has yet examined music therapy students' responses to the sudden modification of teaching modalities. The aim of this study was to understand how the music therapy learning environment changed during the COVID-19 pandemic; students' experiences with unexpected remote learning, clinical training, and examination; and their perception of barriers and benefits of online learning. American Music Therapy Association students attending courses from Spring 2020 through Spring 2021 were invited to participate in this national survey. In total, 230 music therapy students across seven regions responded to the 26-item questionnaire through Qualtrics®. Seven questions were further explored with a student focus group. Results indicated that courses were mainly altered to synchronous lectures, clinical training changed to varied telepractice experiences, and examination was modified across universities. Students spent about the same time in remote learning and found synchronous lectures mostly engaging. Commonly perceived barriers included screen fatigue, physical isolation from peers, and poor internet connection. Safety during COVID-19, no traveling time, and being more comfortable at home were noted as key benefits. In conclusion, online learning allowed the continuation of music therapy education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, the development of effective online courses and research-based guidelines for tele-interventions is desirable to improve the music therapy educational landscape during future crises and to prepare students for competent services in a digital world.