The Interplay of Preference, Familiarity and Psychophysical Properties in Defining Relaxation Music.

BACKGROUND: The stress response has been well documented in past music therapy literature. However, hypometabolism, or the relaxation response, has received much less attention. Music therapists have long utilized various music-assisted relaxation techniques with both live and recorded music to elicit such a response. The ongoing proliferations of relaxation music through commercial media and the dire lack of evidence to support such claims warrant attention from healthcare professionals and music therapists. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of these 3 studies was to investigate the correlational relationships between 12 psychophysical properties of music, preference, familiarity, and degree of perceived relaxation in music. METHODS: Fourteen music therapists recommended and analyzed 30 selections of relaxation music. A group of 80 healthy adults then rated their familiarity, preference, and degree of perceived relaxation in the music. RESULTS: The analysis provided a detailed description of the intrinsic properties in music that were perceived to be relaxing by listeners. These properties included tempo, mode, harmonic, rhythmic, instrumental, and melodic complexities, timbre, vocalization/lyrics, pitch range, dynamic variations, and contour. In addition, music preference was highly correlated with listeners' perception of relaxation in music for both music therapists and healthy adults. The correlation between familiarity and degree of relaxation reached significance in the healthy adult group. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study provided an in-depth operational definition of the intrinsic parameters in relaxation music and also highlighted the importance of preference and familiarity in eliciting the relaxation response.

The efficacy of music therapy protocols for decreasing pain, anxiety, and muscle tension levels during burn dressing changes: a prospective randomized crossover trial.

The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of two music therapy protocols on pain, anxiety, and muscle tension levels during dressing changes in burn patients. Twenty-nine inpatients participated in this prospective, crossover randomized controlled trial. On two consecutive days, patients were randomized to receive music therapy services either on the first or second day of the study. On control days, they received no music. On music days, patients practiced music-based imagery (MBI), a form of music-assisted relaxation with patient-specific mental imagery before and after dressing changes. Also, on music days during dressing changes, the patients engaged in music alternate engagement (MAE), which consisted of active participation in music making. The dependent variables were the patients' subjective ratings of their pain and anxiety levels and the research nurse's objective ratings of their muscle tension levels. Two sets of data were collected before, three sets during, and another two sets after dressing changes. The results showed significant decrease in pain levels before (P < .025), during (P < .05), and after (P < .025) dressing changes on days the patients received music therapy in contrast to control days. Music therapy was also associated with a decrease in anxiety and muscle tension levels during the dressing changes (P < .05) followed by a reduction in muscle tension levels after dressing changes (P < .025). Music therapy significantly decreases the acute procedural pain, anxiety, and muscle tension levels associated with daily burn care.

Burns with multiple trauma.

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, mechanisms, and outcomes of management in patients with multisystem trauma and associated burn injury. A retrospective review was performed of patients admitted with combined burns and trauma from 1990 through 1999. Mechanism of injury, extent of burns, associated injuries, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and patient outcomes were identified. There were 2,845 burn and 19,418 trauma admissions. Fifty-six patients (2.0% and 0.29% respectively) had combined burns and trauma. Mean ISS was 21.7 and average percentage total body surface area was 16.2. Associated injuries included fractures in 32, complex soft-tissue injury in 20, head injury in 11, and abdominal trauma in seven. Mechanism of injury was industrial in 19, motor vehicle accident in 16, house fire in 13, high voltage in six, and other in three. Skin grafting was required in 33 of 56 patients (59%). Six of 56 patients died. Mean ISS was 19.0 in survivors compared with 46.2 in nonsurvivors. The combination of burns with multiple system trauma is uncommon. Fractures are the most frequent associated injury, and the majority of patients will require skin grafting in their burn treatment. Outcomes with appropriate management are favorable and are primarily dependent on the degree of associated trauma.