The Effects of Music Therapy on Anxiety and Depression of Cancer Patients

Cancer patients often suffer from anxiety and depression. Various methods are
used to alleviate anxiety and depression, but most of them have side effects. Music therapy can be used as a
noninvasive method to reduce anxiety and depression. This study aimed to examine the effect of music therapy
on anxiety and depression in patients with cancer.
Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted attaching hospitals in Urmia city. A total
number of sixty patients with depression and anxiety were recruited using random sampling method and divided
into two groups of control and intervention. Patients in intervention group listened to light music at least 20 min
per day for 3 days. The degree of patients’ anxiety and depression was assessed by Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale at baseline and 3 days after music therapy. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 13 using
ttest, Pearson, and ANOVA tests.
Results: The results showed no signifcant differences between demographic variable of intervention and control
groups. Our fndings indicated a signifcant decrease in the level of depression and anxiety among intervention
group. There were signifcant relationships between anxiety, depression, and sex (P < 0.001, r = 0.42) as well
as education (P = 0.003, r = 0.37).
Conclusion: This study revealed positive effects of music therapy on decreasing level of depression and anxiety
in patients with cancer. Therefore, it is recommended to include music therapy in the nursing care.