THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN A GRIEF CHOIR ON PERCEIVED GRIEF, COPING, ENERGY, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND HEALTH AMONG BEREAVED ADULTS: A MIXED METHODS RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to test the effects of participation in a treatment grief choir vs. standard care grief group (verbal) on bereaved persons’ perceived grief, coping, energy, social support and health and to examine the experiences of those participating in both groups. In this mixed-methods study, the results from the qualitative phenomenological focus groups were used for explaining and interpreting the findings of the Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Within the RCT, five people completed the treatment grief choir and four completed the standard care grief group (N=9). A repeated-measures ANOVA was employed to detect any statistical significance among the adult grievers. A significant within-subjects effect was found in both groups for the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) start-of-session grief, NRS end-of- session grief, Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC), and NRS end-of-session coping measures. These results indicate that both groups showed significant improvement over time in these areas. A between-subjects effect was found for the NRS end-of-session grief and for the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) with the standard care grief group scoring significantly better over time than the treatment grief choir. Finally, one interaction effect was found for the NRS end-of-session health scores at week sixteen, with a significant gain for the standard care grief group. For the qualitative portion of this study, five members of the treatment grief choir and three of the four members from the standard care grief group participated in separate focus group interviews. A seventeen-step analysis of the interview data was employed to discover meaningful descriptions and experiences while maintaining validity and integrity of the process. The following categories emerged from the analysis of the treatment grief choir interview: The Grief Choir Did Help; Songs were Important in Grief; Making Musical Connections Helped; Interactions with Grievers were Valued; The Music Therapists Influenced the Experience; and Gained Insights about Grief. The following categories emerged from the standard care grief group: Standard Care Did Help; Timing and Composition of Group Mattered; Standard Care was a Complex Experience; and The Experience of Being in Research. Recommendations for future grief choirs and standard care grief groups are discussed.