Music, Heart Rate Variability, and Symptom Clusters: A Comparative Study

Journal

Supportive Care in Cancer

Year

2020

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the possible range of change of a single-session music intervention (SMI) on symptom clusters and neurological reactivity for women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: A parallel and randomized, controlled study with repeated measures design was used. A total of 100 women with breast cancer were randomly assigned to the SMI or a control group. The outcome measurements of symptom cluster were collected using the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the neurological reactivity with heart rate variability at four time points: before commencement of the intervention (T0), immediately afterward (T1), 1 week later (T2), and 3 weeks after the intervention (T3). RESULTS: Of the 50 women in each group, 46 in the SMI and 48 in the control group completed the post-test at T3. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the SMI group had a medium effect in change of symptom clusters compared to the control group at T2. Moreover, after adjusting for baseline between normal and higher levels of sympathetic tone activity, significant differences existed in fatigue and depression at T2 and sleep disturbance at T3. CONCLUSIONS: A single-session music intervention can be effectively used to reduce symptom clusters for women with breast cancer. Targeting those who have a higher level of sympathetic tone activity is recommended.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Anxiety; Cancer; Fatigue; Heart Rate; Invasive Medical Procedures; Mental Health; Mood Scales; Music Listening; Music Med; Questionnaires; Recorded Music Listening; Self-Report Measures; Sleep Quality; Sleep Wake Disorders; Symptom Management; Vital Signs

Indexed Terms

Anxiety; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases; Breast Neoplasms; Depression; Fatigue; Heart Rate; Self Report; Sleep Wake Disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptom Assessment; Syndrome; Anxiety; Breast cancer; Depression; Fatigue; Sleep; Sympathetic tone activity

Study Type

Randomized Controlled Trial; Quantitative Methods

PubMed ID

31049671

Document Type

Article

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