Music therapy supported the health‐related quality of life for children undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplants

Abstract

AimPaediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a stressful treatment with an impact on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), and supportive interventions are needed. This study evaluated the effects of music therapy during and after HSCT.MethodsThis was a randomised clinical pilot study of 29 patients aged 0–17 years who underwent HSCT at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden, between February 2013 and May 2017. The music therapy group comprised 14 children who received the music therapy during hospitalisation. Fifteen children in the control group received the intervention after discharge. Music therapy was offered twice a week for four to six weeks. The patients’ HRQoL, pain and mood were evaluated at admission, discharge and after six months. The instruments for HRQoL included the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 generic core scales.ResultsThe scales showed that the music therapy group had a higher estimated physical function (adjusted p = 0.04) at the time of discharge, and the control group showed improved results after the intervention in all domains (p = 0.015).ConclusionDespite the small sample, we found improved HRQoL after music therapy, which suggests that it could be a complementary intervention during and after paediatric HSCT.

Nationwide, population-based study of school grades in practical and aesthetic subjects of children treated for brain tumour

“…Yet, the quality of the art programme is important. Aesthetic activities are also often used during hospital episodes to make it possible for patients to express feelings and fears and to offer coping strategies 21–23. In summary, PRAEST subjects are important for physical activity and practical skills, and may contribute to positive results in school and general well-being.…”

Development of an evidence-based decision aid on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and pain for parents of children with cancer

“…The potential effectiveness of the five CAM modalities included in the decision aid, or of other CAM modalities in addressing other complaints than pain, was not investigated. Recently, a RCT in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants reported that although music therapy did not significantly reduce pain compared with control, it significantly enhanced health-related quality of life [41]. Another major limitation of this study is that it did not evaluate whether the current decision aid actually improved parents' knowledge regarding CAM treatment options, or whether it reduced the decisional conflict stemming from feeling uninformed and unclear about treatment options.…”

Using Arts-Based Therapies to Improve Mental Health for Children and Young People With Physical Health Long-Term Conditions: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness

“…An RCT of music-based therapy for children receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants showed improved physical function post-intervention. A study strength was describing parent involvement and the wait-list control design, so all participants had access to the intervention (Uggla et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Intervention group more eye contact with therapist (p = 0.000) Robb et al (2014) Measures related to Haase's Resilience in Illness Model Post-intervention: TMV group (n = 41) significantly better courageous coping (p = 0.03) 100 days post-transplant: TMV group (n = 30) significantly better social integration (p = 0.028) and family environment (p = 0.008) Tomaj et al 2016Piers Harris Self Concept Scale (Piers and Herzberg, 2002) Intervention group, significantly higher self-concept pre/post-intervention and 1 month FU (p < 0.001) Uggla et al (2018) Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (generic and cancer module) (Varni et al, 2002) Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital Pain Scale (Lundqvist et al, 2014) Music group: higher physical function post-intervention (p = 0.04); wait-list control group improved in all domains (p = 0.015) SR, self-report; SD, standard deviation; FU, follow-up; AME, active music engagement; ML, music listening; ASB, audio-storybooks; TMV, therapeutic music video.…”

“…Information was extracted and tabulated, with Tables 2, 3 showing study characteristics and Table 4 showing significant findings from the selected articles. Eight studies were conducted in the USA (Robb, 2000;Colwell et al, 2005Colwell et al, , 2013Robb et al, 2008Robb et al, , 2014Beebe et al, 2010;Madden et al, 2010;Stafstrom et al, 2012), two studies were carried out in Canada (Barrera et al, 2002;MacDonald et al, 2019), one in Iraq (Abdulah and Abdulla, 2018), one in Hong Kong (Li et al, 2011), two in Iran (Khodabakhshi Koolaee et al, 2016;Tomaj et al, 2016), one in Italy (Giordano et al, 2020), and one study in Sweden (Uggla et al, 2018).…”