Cheryl Dileo

Pain and the body schema: Effects of pain severity on mental representations of movement

Previous research suggests that response times for imagined movements provide a sensitive measure of the integrity of the motor system. In a group of 12 patients with chronic unilateral arm pain, the authors demonstrate that response times for imagined movements are influenced by the severity of pain. Simulated large-amplitude arm movements were slower for the painful as compared with the unaffected arms before, but not after, effective music therapy entrainment, suggesting that mental representations of movement are influenced by the current state of nociceptive feedback.

Music therapy for end-of-life care

Reason for withdrawal from publication At March 2014, the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care Review Group withdrew this review as the authors were no longer available to complete the update. For more information, please contact Managing Editor Anna Hobson, anna.hobson@ndcn.ox.ac.uk,

Effects of music and music therapy on medical patients: a meta-analysis of the research and implications for the future.

Although the literature examining the effects of music medicine or music therapy interventions in medical settings is both large and growing, this literature is difficult to summarize because of of its diversity. The current article reports the results of a recent meta-analysis of 183 studies across 11 medical specialty areas with 40 categories of outcome variables. Emphasized are results for patients with cancer, those who are terminally ill, and patients with human immunodeficiency virus. Meta-analysis results revealed significantly greater effect sizes for outcomes of music therapy versus music medicine interventions, and significant and homogeneous size effects for several outcome variables, including pain, well-being, mood, and nausea/vomiting. Suggestions for future research are provided.

On creating the discipline, profession, and evidence in the field of arts and healthcare

There has been a burgeoning interest in arts and healthcare in recent years, as well as tremendous strides with regard to activities, conferences, and publications. Consideration needs to be given to the basic issues and definitions of the field of arts in healthcare in the United States that will advance this area of endeavor now and for the future, and especially to the following topics: (1) decisions regarding how the discipline of arts in healthcare will evolve, (2) specifications for the professionalization of arts in healthcare, and (3) evidence for the effectiveness of these practices. This article presents a brief review of the first two topics and then presents more detailed information on the current status of research in the field as it relates to demands for evidence-based practice. Results of a meta-analysis on music and music therapy with medical patients are presented, and from this study, an agenda for future research in arts in healthcare is detailed.

Music for preoperative anxiety

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To identify randomized controlled trials examining the effects of music therapy or music medicine interventions (as defined by the authors) on preoperative anxiety in surgical patients. To compare the efficacy of participation in standard care combined with music therapy or music medicine interventions with standard care alone. To compare the efficacy of patient-preferred music with researcher-selected music. To compare the efficacy of different types of music interventions (music therapy versus music medicine).

The Sense of Coherence in Hospitalized Cardiac and Cancer Patients

The sense of coherence (SOC) is a measure of ones global orientation toward the world; it is the extent to which one perceives life as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. The study assesses the SOC of cardiac and cancer inpatients, and examines whether age, gender, race, education, and length of illness predict SOC. Participants comprise 172 patients (84 women, 88 men) at an urban hospital in the Northeastern United States, 122 with cardiac conditions and 50 with cancer. The mean age is 59.8. Results show that the SOC of cardiac and cancer patients is slightly lower than the general population. There are no differences in SOC between cardiac and cancer patients. Multiple regression shows that age and length of illness predict SOC (R = .26, R 2 = .07, p = .002); however because of the small effect size and collinearity, their exact contributions need further study. SOC does not vary according to gender, race, or education.

Predictive Factors in the Quality of Life of Cancer Inpatients

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to determine whether sense of coherence (SOC), and demographic variables (age, gender, race, education, length of illness) predict quality of life (QOL) in cancer inpatients. SOC is the extent to which one finds life comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. Participants were 49 inpatients (66% female) with various forms of cancer, mostly African American (71%), with a mean age of 54.5 years. The mean QOLS of cancer inpatients (84.6) was lower than a healthy population (90.0), however, their mean item scores indicated that they are “mostly satisfied” with most areas of QOL except for active forms of past-time and health. The mean SOC score (133.8) was also lower than other groups; however without appropriate norms, it cannot be concluded that cancer inpatients have a weak SOC. Multiple regressions showed that SOC was a significant predictor of QOL, and that the demographic variables were not predictive of QOL, except when combined with SOC. All findings may be limited by demographics of the sample (race, gender, age, severity of illness), and the inability of cross-sectional investigations to determine causality.

Predictors of Quality of Life in Hospitalized Cardiac Patients

This cross-sectional investigation examined relationships between Sense of Coherence (SOC), age, gender, race, education, length of illness, and Quality of Life (QOLS) in 121 hospitalized cardiac patients (mean age 61.7 years), varying in condition and treatment regimen. QOLS scores were relatively good; SOC scores were slightly lower than other groups. SOC predicted QOLS alone, and in conjunction with age, gender, race, length of illness, and education, which did not predict QOLS separately. Thus, an important interdisciplinary goal is to help cardiac patients perceive life as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful (as measured by SOC), as this greatly influences Quality of Life.

Medical Music Therapy: Evidence-Based Principles and Practices

Because of its flexibility, versatility, and utility with a wide range of clients and clinical issues, as well as its acceptability by clients and the documentation of its effectiveness, music therapy will undoubtedly continue to grow as a viable approach in all facets of health care. As has been realized throughout the ages, music is an indispensable part of the human experience and an essential component to achieving quality of life.

Clinical improvisation in music therapy: theory, practice, research and training

Clinical improvisation is widely used in music therapeutic settings. This roundtable will reflect the use and innovated research of clinical improvisation in music therapy practice from an international, multi-theoretical perspective.Six music therapists from three different countries will provide a comprehensive presentation about innovated theoretical perspectives, clinical uses of improvisation with various classifications of psychiatric and medical populations, as well as provide relevant information on improvisational analysis (manual and computational), on how to assess the emotional impact of improvisations through heart rate variability measurements, on conducting various types of research in improvisation and also on advanced training in improvisation.