Attitudes Surrounding Music of Patients With Anorexia Nervosa: A Survey-Based Mixed-Methods Analysis

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is one of the main eating disorders. It has the highest mortality of all psychiatric disorders, and the success rates of current therapies are not fully satisfactory. Thus, there is a need for novel interventions. We investigated the attitudes surrounding music of 41 patients with clinically-diagnosed AN as well as their thoughts on the potential therapeutic uses of music using a questionnaire of 50 questions. Free text responses were qualitatively analyzed for reoccurring themes with NVivo 12 software. Yes/no questions and questions of best fit were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. The most prevalent theme was the positive effect of music. Most patients reported that listening to music evokes varying emotions in them (83%) which may be of positive or negative nature. Similarly, patients associated certain music with particular positive, but also with particular negative memories. A majority of patients stated that music helps to distract them (85%), helps with loneliness (59%) and helps them feel more connected to others (58%). This data indicates that people with AN make nonclinical use of music which seems to elicit positive as well as negative emotions and memories. Patients felt music is beneficial with regard to important aspects of AN, such as emotional problems, loneliness, and relationship difficulties. Most of them would also like to attend music therapy.

Music therapy in eating disorder treatment and its synergy with systemic and family-based therapy approaches: A systematic review

“…Music as a self-regulation tool. Finally, the data of three integrated survey studies (Applewhite et al, 2020;Czepczor-Bernat et al, 2021;Krishna Priya et al, 2021), in which no interventions were used, support the discussed results of this review. Music-based regulation strategies were found to reduce the likelihood of unhealthy eating behaviors, depression and anxiety (Czepczor-Bernat et al, 2021).…”

“…This revealed that nonclinical use of music appeared to elicit both positive and negative emotions and memories. It was also found that music is beneficial in terms of important aspects of AN (coping with emotions, distraction, recovery) and that music triggers mainly positive emotions/memories but also negative memories/feelings in people with AN (Krishna Priya et al, 2021). Music is an integral and important part of life.…”

“…This is consistent with the added value that music brought to ED comorbidities, such as depression (Lamp, 2017) and anxiety (Bibb et al, 2015). Applewhite et al (2020) and Krishna Priya et al (2021) showed that music has a significant effect on managing emotions as a distraction and recovery (Krishna Priya et al, 2021). This is consistent with the need identified in this review to expand treatment options.…”

“…Music as a self-regulation tool. Two surveys on the use of and thoughts about music, as an additional therapeutic option in the treatment of AN, were also integrated (Applewhite et al, 2020;Krishna Priya et al, 2021). A total of 46 women and one man between the ages of 18 and 65 who were inpatients or outpatients receiving treatment were surveyed for their opinions.…”

A Systematic Review of Scientific Studies and Case Reports on Music and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

“…Future studies on the therapeutic use of music in helping patients with OCD should take the peculiarities of how music is received by people with OCD into account. Our systematic review has not yielded studies on qualitative aspects of the patients' perspective of and attitudes towards music, similarly to how they have been performed in other areas such as eating disorders [65]. To obtain specific answers from future research, the population should be well defined in terms of age (children, adolescents, adults or elderly people), severity and symptomatology.…”