The Effects of Group Music Therapy on the Emotional Health of Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Pilot Study
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- Enrolling By Invitation
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 20
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Change in Positive Affect Score on the I-PANAS-SF
研究概览
简要总结
The goal of this pilot study is to learn whether group music therapy improves the emotional health of residents living in long-term care facilities. It will also examine the feasibility of integrating an artificial intelligence (AI)-based emotion recognition model into routine psychosocial interventions.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does group music therapy improve positive affect and reduce negative affect, depression, and loneliness among long-term care residents? Are AI-based facial emotion recognition results consistent with residents' self-reported emotional assessments?
Researchers will use a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design to evaluate changes before and after a 6-week group music therapy program. The study will also compare subjective questionnaire results with objective facial emotion recognition outputs generated by the PaLI Gemma 2 multimodal model.
Participants will:
Attend one 60-minute group music therapy session per week for 6 weeks Complete emotional health questionnaires before the first session and after the sixth session Be recorded during sessions using a non-invasive camera system for facial emotion analysis Have their questionnaire results compared with AI-based emotion recognition outputs to evaluate consistency and feasibility
This pilot study will provide preliminary evidence regarding both the psychological benefits of group music therapy and the feasibility of applying AI-supported multimodal emotion assessment in long-term care settings.
详细描述
Taiwan is entering a super-aged society, and an increasing number of older adults reside in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Although institutional care provides medical and daily living support, many residents experience loneliness, depressive symptoms, and reduced emotional well-being. Non-pharmacological interventions such as group music therapy have demonstrated beneficial effects on mood regulation, social interaction, and psychological health. However, most previous studies have relied primarily on self-report questionnaires or observer-rated scales, which may be influenced by cognitive status, expressive ability, or assessment bias.
This pilot study aims to evaluate both the psychological effects of group music therapy and the feasibility of integrating an artificial intelligence (AI)-based multimodal emotion recognition model into emotional assessment in LTC settings.
Study Design
This study uses a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. Approximately 20 residents from a long-term care facility in central Taiwan will be recruited using convenience sampling.
Inclusion criteria include:
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Na
- 干预模型
- Single Group
- 主要目的
- Health Services Research
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 65 Years 至 —（Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Aged 65 years or older
- •Resident of the long-term care facility for at least 3 months
- •SPMSQ scale error 0-2 questions
- •Medically stable and able to participate in group activities
- •Able to communicate and complete questionnaires (with assistance if needed)
- •Willing to provide written informed consent, including consent for facial image collection
排除标准
- •Diagnosed with severe dementia
- •Diagnosed with major psychiatric disorders
- •Diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases that significantly impair participation
- •Severe hearing or visual impairment that prevents engagement in music therapy activities
- •Participation in other psychological therapy or music therapy programs within the past 3 months
- •Acute medical condition requiring hospitalization or intensive treatment
研究组 & 干预措施
Group Music Therapy Intervention
Arm 1: Group Music Therapy Intervention
Participants assigned to this single study arm will receive a 6-week group music therapy program. Each participant will attend one 60-minute session per week, for a total of six sessions.
The intervention includes structured music listening, instrument interaction (e.g., percussion instruments), group singing, and brief sharing activities designed to promote emotional expression and social interaction. Sessions will be led by a trained music therapist with support from nursing staff.
Participants will complete emotional health questionnaires at baseline (before the first session) and after the sixth session. During sessions, non-invasive facial image recordings will be collected for AI-based emotion analysis.
All participants receive the same intervention; there is no control or comparison arm in this pilot study.
干预措施: Group Music Therapy (Other)
结局指标
主要结局
Change in Positive Affect Score on the I-PANAS-SF
时间窗: Baseline, Week 6
Assessed using the short form of the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (I-PANAS-SF). The positive affect subscale consists of 5 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=never, 5=always). Total subscale scores range from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating stronger positive emotional intensity.
Change in Negative Affect Score on the I-PANAS-SF
时间窗: Baseline, Week 6
Assessed using the short form of the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (I-PANAS-SF). The negative affect subscale consists of 5 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=never, 5=always). Total subscale scores range from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating stronger negative emotional intensity.
次要结局
- Geriatric Depression Scale(Baseline, Week 6)
- UCLA Loneliness Scale(Baseline and Week 6)
研究者
Yu Chia Chang
Assistant Professor
China Medical University Hospital