Participants’ experiences of music, mindful music, and audiobook listening interventions for people recovering from stroke

Abstract

Existing research evidence suggests that both music listening and mindfulness interventions may have beneficial effects on mood and cognition poststroke. This mixed-methods study, nested within a pilot randomized controlled trial investigating the feasibility and acceptability of combining music listening and brief mindfulness training poststroke, explored study participants' experiences of engaging in the interventions. Fifty-six stroke survivors who were randomized to receive an 8-week intervention of mindful music listening (n = 15), music listening (n = 21), or audiobook listening (n = 20, control) using self-selected material participated in a postintervention individual semistructured interview with a researcher not involved in their intervention delivery. Interview questions focused on affective, cognitive, and physical experiences. Data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Across groups, listening was associated with positive distraction from thoughts and worries. Mindful music listening was most strongly associated with relaxation and concentration, improved attentional control, and emotion regulation, as well as enjoyment. Music listening was most strongly associated with increased activity, memory reminiscence, and improved mood. In addition, participants provided valuable feedback on intervention feasibility and acceptability. The findings suggest that the interventions were feasible and enjoyable for people recovering from stroke.

Measuring the effects of listening for leisure on outcome after stroke (MELLO): A pilot randomized controlled trial of mindful music listening

“…We have previously reported positive self-reported cognitive impacts in the domains of memory and attention based on participants' qualitative experiences of the interventions. 8 Both music groups but not the audiobook group reported memory reminiscence, while the mindful music group referred to being better able to refocus their mind following mind wandering consistent with the idea of improved attentional control or attentional switching.…”

“…It is possible that participants with, or vulnerable to, mood disorder chose not to participate (sampling bias), or that all groups benefitted from a listening-based activity and weekly contact. The latter is partially supported by feedback from post-intervention interviews 8 suggested that participants in the music listening groups more frequently referred to listening being enjoyable and uplifting, and promoting memory reminiscence compared to audiobooks. But there were differences between the music groups, with the mindful-music group more frequently referring to listening aiding relaxation, attentional control, and emotion regulation.…”

“…The mindful-music participants were introduced to the concept of mindfulness at the first visit and given a recording containing a brief mindfulness exercise (Body scan) to complete daily prior to music listening (weeks 1-3). The brief ($5 min) mindfulness exercises 8 focused on key elements of mindfulness (e.g. paying attention to the present moment).…”

“…consciously attending to music rather than simply listening to music in the background whilst doing other activities) may also induce relaxation, positive mood change, and evoke memories and reflective thoughts about the past and the future. 7,8 A parallel can be drawn with mindfulness training, which has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms and to improve performance on measures of working memory and sustained attention in healthy individuals. 9 Mindfulness aims to promote wellbeing through learning to pay attention to the present moment in a non-judgemental way.…”

Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Musical Aesthetic Emotion Processing

“…Previous studies have shown a certain relationship between mindfulness meditation and specific music activities (Rodríguez-Carvajal and Lecuona, 2014). Mindfulness-based music listening can increase listening sensitivity and enjoyment (Anderson, 2016;Baylan et al, 2018), improve well-being (Brown and Ryan, 2003;Rodríguez-Carvajal and Lecuona, 2014;Sorensen et al, 2018;Loo et al, 2020), enhance body awareness and listening experiences (Diaz, 2013;Rodríguez-Carvajal and Lecuona, 2014), and decrease psychological stress and anxiety symptoms (Tomaselli, 2014). Specific musical activities, such as listening to mindfulness music, chorus training, music performance, and music creation, could induce a state of mindfulness meditation, which moderates the absorption of musical stimuli by the participants and affects their emotional experiences (Bell et al, 2016;Lynch and Wilson, 2017;Dvorak and Hernandez-Ruiz, 2019).…”