The Effect of Music Therapy on Sense of Loneliness and Life Expectancy in Methamphetamine-Addicted Individuals Attempting to Quit

Abstract

Background: Since there has been no research on music therapy in a systematic way so far to develop motivation and hope in the course of treating individuals who are addicted to drugs, especially stimulant drugs whose use has increased in Iran, the present research was conducted to examine the effect of music therapy on the sense of loneliness and life expectancy in methamphetamine-addicted individuals who were attempting to quit. Methods: The research is pretest, posttest, and test and control groups. The research sample includes 30 methamphetamine-addicted individuals who were quitting in a midterm residential center in Sowme'eh Sara who were selected by convenience sampling and allocated to two control (N = 15) and experiment (N = 15) groups randomly. UCLA sense of loneliness scale and Schneider statistical questionnaire (1991) were used for data collection. Results: Studies showed that music therapy could reduce the symptoms related to the sense of loneliness and increased life expectancy (P < 0.001). Conclusions: It is concluded that mental health professionals can use group music therapy to improve sense of loneliness and life expectancy in methamphetamine-addicted individuals attempting to quit. Also, it is suggested that future research should investigate the effectiveness of group music therapy in improving other psychological constructs in addicted females and males who are attempting to quit.

An exploratory interpretivist study of how adults with substance use disorders experience peer social connectedness during recovery-oriented songwriting

“…Jones (2005) found that a songwriting intervention lessened feelings of loneliness among participants with substance dependence. Mohammadirad and colleagues (2021) also found that music therapy interventions including guided imagery and music listening followed by lyric discussion led to decreased loneliness among individuals with methamphetamine addictions. In a study on the effects of music therapy on engagement for participants with SUD, Dingle et al (2008) found that almost half of participants believed continued music therapy sessions would facilitate a sense of group membership.…”

The Importance of Music Therapy on Psychological Constructs in Addicted People Attempting to Quit

“…We have read a recently published article in Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences by Mohammadirad et al, entitled "The Effect of Music Therapy on Sense of Loneliness and Life Expectancy in Methamphetamine-Addicted Individuals Attempting to Quit" (1). Mohammadirad et al showed an absorbing inquiry on reducing the sense of loneliness and increasing life expectancy in methamphetamine addicts attempting to quit (1). They deduced that "music therapy can improve various psychological dimensions and, as a therapeutic approach, is able to meet the needs of addicts.…”