Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
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ItemExploring self-concept, wellbeing and distress in therapeutic songwriting participants following acquired brain injury: A case series analysis(Taylor & Francis, 2020-02-07)Acquired brain injury (ABI) presents a significant threat to sense of self and necessitates a complex process of psychosocial adjustment. Self-concept changes remain understudied in the early stages of inpatient rehabilitation. The aim of the current study was to examine changes in self-concept, distress, wellbeing and functional skills for five inpatients undertaking a music therapy intervention within a subacute rehabilitation centre in Victoria, Australia. Participants completed a six-week, 12-session therapeutic songwriting programme to produce past-, current- and future-self-focused songs. A range of self-concept, subjective wellbeing and distress measures were completed pre-, mid- and post-intervention. A descriptive case series approach was applied to determine trends in pre-post scores for five individual cases. Participants showing the greatest gains across self-concept and subjective wellbeing indices also showed the greatest functional gains on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) from admission to discharge. The current study highlights the importance of examining early changes in self-concept, wellbeing and distress in subacute rehabilitation, and suggests that individualised songwriting programmes warrant further research attention in neurological populations.
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ItemParkinSong: Outcomes of a 12-Month Controlled Trial of Therapeutic Singing Groups in Parkinson's Disease(IOS Press, 2020-07-28)Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) frequently causes progressive deterioration in speech, voice and cognitive aspects of communication. These affect wellbeing and quality of life and are associated with caregiver strain and burden. Therapeutic singing groups can ameliorate PD-related communication disorders and increase social interaction and wellbeing for caregivers and care recipients. Objective: To analyse the effects of ParkinSong group singing sessions on Parkinson’s communication and wellbeing outcomes for people with PD and caregivers over 12 months. Methods: A 4-armed controlled clinical trial compared ParkinSong with active non-singing control conditions over 12 months. Two dosage levels (weekly versus monthly) were available for each condition. ParkinSong comprised high-effort vocal, respiratory and speech exercises, group singing, and social interaction. PD-specific outcomes included vocal loudness, speech intelligibility, maximum phonation time, respiratory muscle strength, and voice related quality of life (QoL). Wellbeing outcomes were also measured for caregivers and care recipients. Results: We recruited 75 people with PD and 44 caregivers who attended weekly ParkinSong, monthly ParkinSong, weekly control or monthly control groups. We found significant improvements in the primary outcome of vocal loudness (p = 0.032), with weekly singers 5.13 dB louder (p = 0.044) and monthly singers 5.69 dB louder (p = 0.015) than monthly controls at 12 months. ParkinSong participants also showed greater improvements in voice-related QoL and anxiety. Caregivers who attended ParkinSong showed greater reductions in depression and stress scores. Conclusions: This 12-month controlled clinical trial of ParkinSong demonstrated improvements in speech loudness and voice-related QoL for participants with PD, and enhanced wellbeing for both caregivers and care recipients. No adverse effects were reported over 12 months and improvements were sustained.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableEmpowering Caregivers of People Living with Dementia to Use Music Therapeutically at Home: Design Opportunities(ACM, 2020-12-02)Human-computer interaction researchers have explored how to design technologies to support people with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers, but limited attention has been given to how to facilitate music therapy in dementia care. The use of music to help manage the symptoms of dementia is often guided by a music therapist who adapts the intervention to respond to the changing needs of the person living with dementia. However, as the incidence of dementia increases worldwide, individualised therapy programs are less feasible, making it valuable to consider technology-based approaches. In this paper, we analyze data from case studies of home-based music therapy training interventions with two families. The findings show that embodied interactions supported the therapist in responding to the needs of the PwD and built an empathic environment that empowered the caregivers' learning. We discuss opportunities and challenges for designing technologies that support family caregivers' therapy-informed music use in dementia care.
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ItemResource assessment in trials undertaken in residential care homes: Experiences from the Australian MIDDEL cluster randomised controlled trial research team(Elsevier BV, 2020-12)BACKGROUND: The resources involved in delivering a clinical trial in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) are significant and the success of a trial is dependent upon adequate planning, including appropriate timelines for each component of the study and the required budget. This paper describes process and resource assessment during recruitment, collection of outcome measures and intervention delivery, and presents learnings and considerations for conducting trials in RACFs with people living with dementia. METHODS: Data were collected across 24 clusters in 12 RACFs over 18 months during a cluster randomised controlled trial which was testing the effectiveness of music interventions in people living with dementia. Data were collected on resources required for recruitment and assessment of baseline data, as well as reasons for participant non-attendance at the interventions. RESULTS: Time between contacting next of kin and receiving formal consent often exceeded 45 days. The ratio of time between direct and indirect research activity was approximately 1:2. Participant intervention adherence is at risk from unplanned RACF lockdowns and reasons for non-attendance include those both related directly to the participant and to staff resources, scheduling or other practical considerations. CONCLUSIONS: Research planning should focus on building relationships with RACF staff and resident families, factor in adequate time for recruitment in the study timeline and consider budgeting for backfill of RACF staff during data collection phases to expedite the process and ensure adherence to study protocol timelines. TRIAL REGISTRATION AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY ANZCTR12618000156280 1/02/2018 HTTP//ANZCTRORGAU/TRIAL/REGISTRATION/TRIALREVIEWASPX?ACTRN=12618000156280: A.
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Item"It's Feasible to Write a Song": A Feasibility Study Examining Group Therapeutic Songwriting for People Living With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2020-08-07)Psychosocial interventions for people with dementia and their family caregivers together may sustain relationship quality and social connection. No previous music therapy research has examined the effects of group therapeutic songwriting (TSW) attended by people with dementia/family caregiver dyads.
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ItemEditorial: The State of the Art in Creative Arts Therapies(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2020)Creative Arts Therapies is an umbrella term for healthcare professions that use the creative and expressive process of art making to improve and enhance the psychological and social well-being of individuals of all ages and health conditions. Creative arts therapies use the relationship between the client and therapist and among clients in group or dyadic therapy in the context of the creative-expressive process as a dynamic and vital force for growth and change. The creative-expressive process engages physiological sensations, emotions, and cognition; facilitates verbal and non-verbal symbolization, narration, and expression of conscious or unconscious conflicts and meaning-making through internal and external dialogue and communication between oneself and others. The major objective of this Research Topic was to introduce, collect, discuss, and disseminate new clinical practices, scientific evidence, methodologies, theoretical concepts, and notions about Creative Arts Therapies. By publishing this open-access articles under this Research Topic we hope not only to distribute updated knowledge among the many clinicians in this field, but also to inform and convey the importance and significant therapeutic impact of this field, to scientists and clinicians from other psychological disciplines. Creative arts therapists work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, educational institutions, community mental health facilities, prisons, hospices, and private practices, and include a variety of Professional specializations. Contributors to this Research Topic included experts in dance-movement therapy (DMT), drama-therapy and psychodrama, film therapy, music therapy, and art therapy. The topics of their studies vary from theoretical concepts and underlying mechanisms through methodology and up to evidence-based clinical studies and their review or meta-analysis. In the following paragraphs we summarized the 36 different contributions to this Research Topic, based on their artistic modality.