Effect of music therapy on mood and social interaction among individuals with acute traumatic brain injury and stroke

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of music therapy techniques as an ai d in improving mood and social interaction after traumatic brain injury or stroke. Design: Eighteen individuals with traumatic brain injury or stroke were assigned either standard rehabilitation alone or standard rehabilitati on along with music therapy (3 treatments per week for up to 10 treatments) . Measures: Pretreatment and posttreatment assessments of participant self- rating of mood, family ratings of mood and social interaction, and therapis t rating of mood and participation in therapy. Results: There was a signifi cant improvement in family members' assessment of participants' social inte raction in the music therapy group relative to the control group. The staff rated participants in the music therapy group as more actively involved an d cooperative in therapy than those in the control group. There was a trend suggesting that self-ratings and family ratings of mood showed greater imp rovement in the music group than in the control group. Conclusions: Results lend preliminary support to the efficacy of music therapy as a complementa ry therapy for social functioning and participation in rehabilitation with a trend toward improvement in mood during acute rehabilitation.