The Effects of a Music Therapy-Based Stress Management Program on Perceived Stress of Inmates with Mental Illness
Because of the mental health crisis in America's prison system, there is a need for innovative treatments that help inmates with mental illness to better manage their stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of a music therapy-based stress management course on l...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English English |
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Florida State University
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| Online Access: | http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/2018_Fall_Austin_fsu_0071N_14940 |
| Summary: | Because of the mental health crisis in America's prison system, there is a need for innovative treatments that help inmates with mental
illness to better manage their stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of a music therapy-based stress management course
on lowering perceived stress levels of inmates with mental illnesses. Participants (N=14) were adult male inmates between the ages of 23 and 61
years old diagnosed with a mental illness receiving treatment on a Diversionary Treatment Unit (DTU) at a state prison in northwest Florida.
Participants were randomly assigned to participate in either a cognitive behavioral music therapy-based stress management course or a cognitive
behavioral talk-based stress management course for four weeks. Participants completed dependent measures that indicated their perceived stress
levels before and after the study, and they also completed surveys regarding how helpful they perceived each session to be. Results indicated
that perceived stress levels were significantly lower at posttest for both the experimental and control groups. There was no significant
difference regarding perceived stress levels between the experimental and control groups. However, session helpfulness surveys indicated that a
higher percentage of participants in the experimental condition perceived that the interventions were "very helpful" compared to participants in
the control condition. Limitations in the current study and implications for future research and music therapy practice in corrections are
discussed. === A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master
of Music. === Fall Semester 2018. === November 9, 2018. === corrections, inmates, mental illness, music therapy, stress management === Includes bibliographical references. === Lori Gooding, Professor Directing Thesis; Jayne Standley, Committee Member; Clifford Madsen, Committee
Member. |
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