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Abstract
This present study explored how music therapy affected the experiences of adolescents who were hospitalized for various ailments. An examination of adolescent participants' encounter with music therapy during their time in the hospital was performed to see if music therapy had an impact on their hospital experience in any way. Children and adolescents have been reported to experience hospital visits as stressful (Robb et al., 2008), painful (Malone, 1996), and traumatic (Loewy, 2007), and children are far more susceptible to trauma from hospital visits than adults (Loewy, 2007). Music therapy has been shown to be an effective way in helping pediatric patients cope with their admissions by helping patients relax (Dileo & Sanders, 2005); however limited research has been conducted with an adolescent population, aged 12-18 years old. This qualitative study set out to examine adolescents' experience with music therapy while being in a hospital. Ten adolescent participants, five male and five female, with various physical ailments participated in this content analysis study. An array of themes emerged in which participants articulated the difficulties of being in the hospital with severe illnesses and the many ways that music therapy helped them cope with their experience. The results were divided into two main categories, "Life is Hard," where adolescents talked about what appeared to be profound traumatic effects of being in the hospital, and "Creative Coping" and the many ways music therapy helped them to cope with their illness and hospitalization. Adolescents expressed the traumatic effects of being in the hospital, including anxiety, depression, fear, and worrying about their family. The participants described music therapy as helping them to relieve and express their pain, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and helping them to bond with their family. They also described how it increased a sense of competency and self esteem, while instilling hope for the future. Music therapy appears to be especially beneficial for adolescents who are struggling with forming an identity, especially in the midst of a debilitating illness. The relationship with the music therapy appeared to be an important factor in helping these adolescents cope with their illness and life in the hospital.
