Learning Objective #1: Apply music therapy to psychiatric practice

Learning Objective #2: Facilitate nursing care related to alcoholism

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Background:Anxiety and depression were the common problems in alcoholics.The consequences of these negative emotion not only increase re-admission to the hospitals, but also increse social and medical cost . Research has found that music therapy can significantly decrease depression and anxiety. Little is known about the effectiveness of the music therapy on Alcoholics. Objective:The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of music therapy on improving anxiety and depression in alcoholics. Methods: This study was a pre- and post -test study design. Fifty-four subjects from central Taiwan participated in this study. Subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. Subjects in the experimental group listened to music of their own choice for 30 minutes per day for 5 days. Subjects in the control group received emotional support from primary nurses at the same frequency. Anxiety was measured by State Anxiety Inventory and Depression was measured by Beck Depression Inventory. t-test was used to examine the group differences. Results:There was no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of dempgrapgics, music background, and pre-treatment anxiety-depression status. A statistically significant difference was noted in terms of depression status, with members of the experimental group benefiting fome their music therapy session. Conclusions:music therapy is an economic, easy-to-administer method for reducing anxiety and depresssion in alcoholics, and one that can be used in a hospital setting or at home.