The purposes of this repeated measures study were to examine the feasibility of using music as an intervention for dyspnea and anxiety in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who live in their homes and to examine the effect of music on anxiety and dyspnea. Twenty-four participants who experienced dyspnea at least once a week were studied over a 5-week period. Baseline data were collected on Week 1. Measures of anxiety and dyspnea were taken on Week 2, prior to and immediately following the use of music. These measures were repeated on Week 5. There was a significant decrease in dyspnea following the use of music as reported in the music diary (p < .001). There was a significant decline in anxiety (p < .05) and dyspnea (p < .01) following the use of music on Week 2. There was no significant change in anxiety or dyspnea over the 5-week period.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and construct validity of Kearney and Fleischer's (1979) Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale. The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) (Guglielmino, 1977) was used to test construct validity. Subjects consisted of 62 post-basic nursing students and 57 adult diabetic patients. The results showed significant correlations between the scales for both groups. However, the relationship was stronger for the student group (r = .505) than for the patient group (r = .302). The Exercise of Self-Control Agency Scale was significantly correlated with all eight factors of the SDLRS for the student group and with only three factors for the patient group. Split-half reliability for the former scale was similar for both groups (r = .78 and .74); test-retest reliability was lower for the patient group (r = .55) than for the student group (r = .76).

In this study, we examined the effects of music on the dyspnea and anxiety experienced by people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when they are walking. A crossover design was used. Patients walked for 10 minutes without music and for 10 minutes while listening to music. The order of the interventions was determined by chance. The levels of perceived dyspnea (modified Borg scale) and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State) were measured at baseline (before a 6-minute walk), at pretest (after that walk and before the 10-minute walks), and after the walks. Thirty subjects with a mean age of 70 +/- 7 years participated in the study. There were no differences in dyspnea or anxiety levels between the walks with music and with no music (p > 0.05). Despite some positive trends, this study did not provide conclusive evidence to support the efficacy of listening to music during exercise; further research is needed to support this intervention.