The Influence of Music Choice on Pain Tolerance in the Context of Social Background
- Conditions
- AnalgesiaPain
- Interventions
- Other: Listening to musicOther: Listening to a podcast
- Registration Number
- NCT06008951
- Lead Sponsor
- Markus Klimek
- Brief Summary
This study will investigate the effect of different music on the pain tolerance during an increasing electric stimulus in healthy individuals, taking social background into account.
- Detailed Description
The implementation of music in health care settings has shown promising results in alleviating stress, anxiety, and pain-related outcomes. However, the heterogeneity in music selection and characteristics across clinical trials has made it difficult to draw direct comparisons between different music interventions. Additionally, the influence of social background on music perception remains largely unexplored, despite its potential significance. Therefore, a collaboration of medical and sociological experts propose a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of two different music interventions on pain tolerance, taking into account the participants' social backgrounds. The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of self-chosen and researcher-chosen music compared to a control intervention (podcast) on pain tolerance among healthy female volunteers at the outpatient clinic of the Center of Pain Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- Female
- Target Recruitment
- 84
- Between 18 and 60 years of age
- Female
- Sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language to understand the study documents (in the judgement of the attending physician or researcher)
- Provision of written informed consent by subject
- Significant hearing impairment
- Current complaints of tinnitus
- Current use of analgesic medication
- Presence of acute or chronic pain
- Current treatment by a medical specialist or general practitioner
- History of cardiac disease of arrhythmias
- (Suspected) pregnancy
- Diagnosed psychiatric or neurological impairments
- Electric implants (e.g. pacemakers)
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- CROSSOVER
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Researcher-chosen music Listening to music The researcher-chosen music playlists will primarily be composed by the Music as Medicine research group from Erasmus Medical Center, based on current expert opinion. The playlist will be created with the goal to help while experiencing pain based on previous literature. Podcast (control) Listening to a podcast The choice of podcast will be based on expert opinion of the sociology department of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Self-chosen music Listening to music The self-chosen music playlist will be assembled by the participant in advance.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Pain tolerance in amperage During the intervention, after listening 20 minutes to the music/ podcast. Measured at the same day as the experiment. The primary object of this study is the pain tolerance by increasing electric stimuli. The measurement will be performed after each intervention while participants are still listening to the music or podcast. Each measurement will be performed three times. Results will be reported in amperage and analyzed with an explorative approach looking at social background.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Pain intensity Immediately after each increasing electric pain stimuli. Measured at the same day as the experiment Pain intensity will be measured using the Numeric Rating Scale. Values range from 0 to 10, with higher values indicating higher pain intensity.
Heart rate variability (HRV) During the intervention. Measured at the same day as the experiment. HRV, the variation in time between adjacent heartbeats, can be used as a marker for autonomic function. Furthermore, an increase of HRV has been found after music interventions, possibly due to the effect on the parasympatic nervous system. HRV will be measured continuously using an Acentas Chest Strap (BM innovations GmbH).
Music gernes and characteristics Immediately after the completion of all interventions. Measured at the same day as the experiment. The self-chosen and researcher-chosen music will be assessed and compared using the Spotify® Application Programming Interface (API).
Anxiety measured with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-6 At baseline and immediately after each increasing electric pain stimuli. Measured at the same day as the experiment. The STAI-6 questionnaire is a validated and frequently used questionnaire to assess anxiety. The questionnaire comprises six items and the total scores ranges from 20 to 80, with higher score indicating a higher level of anxiety.
Pain unpleasantness Immediately after each increasing electric pain stimuli. Measured at the same day as the experiment. Pain unpleasantness will be measured using the Numeric Rating Scale. Values range from 0 to 10, with higher values indicating higher pain unpleasantness.
Affective reaction measures with Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) At baseline and immediately after each increasing electric pain stimuli. Measured at the same day as the experiment. The SAM is a non-verbal pictorial assessment technique that directly measures the pleasure, arousal, and dominance associated with a person's affective reaction to a wide variety of stimuli. Each measurement value ranges from 1 to 9, which indicates different levels of pleasure, arousal and dominance.
Music listening Questionnaire Immediately after the completion of all interventions. Measured at the same day as the experiment. This questionnaire will consist of four items. Participants will be asked to indicate which type of music they believe was the most and least effective for managing pain, and whether they have an explanation for this. Additionally, we will ask for their opinion of the podcast (control condition) and elaborate in which extend the podcast helped to alleviate the pain.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Erasmus Medical Center
🇳🇱Rotterdam, Netherlands