Feasibility and Effectiveness of Group Telemusic Therapy with Adult Survivors of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI): A Retrospective Pilot Trial

Abstract

Music therapists have utilized technology in their clinical work for decades. Yet music therapy delivered in a telehealth model – telemusic therapy – has rarely been described in the literature until recently. This study stems from telemusic therapy services the researcher-interventionist was contracted to provide to adult acquired brain injury (ABI) survivors. The existing literature has primarily reported on synchronous telemusic therapy conducted via internet-based videoconference platforms with individual clients or groups who were colocated but not face-to-face with the clinician. Technological issues were cited as limitations. Only one article described small group telemusic therapy where participants were each located at their individual homes; no literature was found for large groups of non-colocated participants. Further, the telemusic therapy literature very rarely reports empirical data. This thesis presents the results of a pilot study exploring the feasibility and effectiveness of telemusic therapy on well-being for adult brain injury survivors who participate independently from their homes. This retrospective study utilized a quasi-experimental, pre/post-session repeated measures design to examine data from a 20-session, 10-week, group telemusic therapy program (N = 15). Clinician-developed pre/post measures of well-being were administered each session. A Qualtrics Likert scale survey exploring audiovisual quality, emotional support, the therapeutic relationship, and social-emotional connection between participants was issued during the 5th and 10th weeks. Results: Mean and median difference of pre/post measures were significant for increasing well-being at α = 0.5. Frequency distributions of the survey ratings of more than or very much adequate for quality of audio and video: 78.6% – 85.7%; ratings of more than or very much adequate for emotional support, formation of a therapeutic relationship and creating connections with other participants, respectively: 85.7%, 78.6%, 92.9 %. The results support the feasibility and effectiveness of group telemusic therapy for increasing well-being in adult ABI survivors who attend from their individual homes. Study limitations include small N, low return rate for surveys, and unvalidated measures.It is noteworthy that in each session, the music therapy group successfully engaged in real-time active music making with all members playing and all microphones on. No audio delay was detected. This phenomenon has been described in the literature as improbable. The cause of such low latency is unknown. These findings demonstrate that participants using personal computers or laptops and residential broadband Internet experience the audio and visual components of synchronous music therapy as more than adequate. A real-time telehealth model is a viable means for providing group music therapy.