Therapeutic Chorale for Persons With Chronic Mental Illness: A Descriptive Survey of Participant Experiences

Lillian Eyre

Journal

Journal of Music Therapy

Year

2011

Abstract

The purpose of this survey was to assess the relationship between participation in a bilingual therapeutic performance choir and the reported quality of life for persons living with a chronic psychiatric illness. The participants were 16 volunteers who ranged in age from 32-65, had a diagnosis of a major mental illness, and were members of an existing choir within a psychiatric outpatient department of a large urban general hospital. Participants completed a self-reported quality of life questionnaire designed by the researcher using Likert scales, a check list, and qualitative questions. Results demonstrated that aspects of participants' lives that they perceived were most positively affected by choir membership included self-esteem, emotional expression, mood alteration, coping with stress, comfort level within in the group, and the establishment of a regular routine. Implications for the use of choirs as a therapeutic medium and limitations of the study were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Music and Health Institute Terms

Community Music Experience; Coping; Emotional Functioning; Hospital Setting; Hospitalized Patients; Interpersonal Problems; Likert Scale; Mental Health; Mood; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Recreative Music Methods; Self-Report Measures; Singing a Song; Stress

Indexed Terms

therapeutic chorale; chronic mental illness; participant experiences; quality of life; bilingualism; Adaptation, Psychological; Elderly; Attitude to Health; Interpersonal Relations; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Self Concept; Surveys and Questionnaires; Prayer; Therapeutic Processes

Study Type

Descriptive Analysis; Quantitative Methods

Document Type

Article

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