THE EFFECT OF MUSIC THERAPY ON STRESS AMONG CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of music therapy interventions on stress reduction among caregivers of patients with dementia in Thailand. A quasi-experimental repeated-measures design was used to compare the effect of music therapy on stress level among pre-test, mid-test, and post-test. 10 participants were selected to participate in music therapy activities for 10 sessions through the Zoom Meeting Platform. Music therapy interventions consisted of music listening, music and relaxation, music playlist, and songwriting activities. In terms of research instruments, the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) was used to measure the stress level and a general questionnaire was used to collect the demographic background of the participants. Repeated-Measures ANOVA was used to compare the results among pre-, mid-, and post-interventions. The results showed that mean stress scores in dementia caregivers among pre-, mid-, and post-test were statistically significant at .05 level. The mean stress score of post-test (M = 65.60, SD = 16.801) was lower than both the pre-test (M = 85.60, SD = 19.317), and mid-test (M = 71.10, SD = 19.122). The findings revealed that music therapy is significantly effective in reducing stress among caregivers of patients with dementia.