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Learning Objective 1: The learner will understand the effects of music on immune function.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to understand the mechanism of how music modulates cytokine production.
Method: Using a three-group pretest-post test design during the period March to June 2007, 60 nurses, age 21–42 years, who worked in a hospital were randomly assigned to each group. Participants in the stimulating or sedating music groups listened to stimulating music or sedating music for 30 minutes. In the rest group, subjects sat quietly for 30 minutes. Participants’ physiological and psychoneuroimmunological parameters were measured using a blood pressure monitor and enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. General estimating equation (GEE) was used to analyze data.
Results: After controlling for confounding factors, significant differences in IL-6 and IL-10 levels among groups were found (p = 0.021–0.001). Sedating music had greatest effect on decreasing plasma IL-6 levels, with the greatest increase of IL-10 levels in the quiet rest group. Stimulating music also had greatest effect on increasing MAP (p = 0.04). The sedating music group had significantly higher scores for music preference than in the stimulating music group (p = 0.013).
Conclusions: Sedating music, stimulating music, and quiet rest had immunomodulatory effects manifested in circulating IL-6 and IL-10 levels, with no significant change in TNF-a production. Any continuous effect, and whether or not it facilitates adaptation to future stress, requires further research. For the reason of gender differences in the prevalence of inflammatory disorders, future studies were suggested to speculate on gender disparities for the effect of music on cytokine production.
See more of: World Academy of Nursing Science: Oral Paper & Posters