Effect of Improvisational Group Drumming versus General Music Therapy versus Activity Therapy on Mood, Session Behaviors and Transfer Behaviors of in-Patient Psychiatric Individuals

Individuals with mental illness are often diagnosed with mood symptoms in relation to a variety of disorders. Mood has been used as a measure of progress for patients recovering from mental and physical illness, but has also been examined in a variety of populations as an indicator for certain behaviors and treatment outcomes. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate whether single-session facilitated improvisational group drumming will improve the mood of in-patient psychiatric individuals and increase socialization and positive behaviors observed on the unit. Group drumming was compared with a non-drumming general music therapy session and a non-music activity therapy group. Participants (N = 66) were male and female patients with serious mental illness assigned by convenient randomized sampling to one of three experimental groups. Mood data were collected pre and post by self-report using an adapted visual analog mood scale (VAMS). On-task and interaction behaviors during sessions were collected via observation of digital video, and transfer behaviors on the living unit were collected 30 minutes post session by trained hospital staff. The content of the three treatment sessions was designed to include five topics: cooperation, teamwork, friendliness, compliments and helpfulness. Each treatment protocol also incorporated role-play and direct instruction to encourage participants to demonstrate appropriate social interactions on the unit. The treatment protocols were created to allow for 35 minutes of activities during psychosocial education programming. Results from the modified VAMS survey indicated positive changes in mood for participants in all three treatment conditions although statistical analysis of the mean pretest and posttest scores showed no differences among groups. Results from the analysis of observations of participant behavior 30 minutes post treatment did not show significant differences between experimental groups, but participants from all three groups scored in positive numbers, indicating that they had been involved in positive behaviors on the unit after their participation in a treatment group with the greatest amount observed in the two music groups. Results from observations of interpersonal behaviors during treatment indicated that the mean percentages of social approval and neutral behaviors were also not significantly different by type of treatment. The mean percentage of on-task behaviors revealed that participants were more on task in the drumming and the music therapy treatment groups than in the activity therapy treatment groups, though differences were not statistically significant. This study was the first application of group drumming to be used for an entire treatment session in an acute psychiatric setting. This was also the first research trial to use drumming alone to influence the mood of in-patient psychiatric individuals. Results of this study indicate that a group drumming protocol can be successfully utilized as part of the psychosocial training program in a hospital setting, though analysis of the data also confirmed that general music therapy and activity therapy may be beneficial to the mood of patients. Implications for clinical use and suggestions for future research are discussed.