Effects of Music Therapy with Sickle Cell Disease Pediatric Patients

ABSTRACT Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited blood disorders in which the hemoglobin of the red blood cells is abnormal, cause the shape of the cell to be sickle, and cause severe pain. The purposes of this study were to discover if music therapy could decrease pain, anxiety, and heart rate, while increasing mood and oxygen saturation. Hospital inpatients (N=30) between the ages of four to fourteen participated in a two day randomized control study. Participants were either randomized into the experimental portion of the study and received a thirty minute music therapy session (N=15), or in the portion with no intervention (N=15). A pre and post-test was administered on each day for both groups patients were asked about their pain, anxiety and mood, and the heart rate and oxygen saturation were taken down. An exit survey was given to those in the experimental group. Results indicated that the music therapy session did have a statistically significant decrease on heart rate (p=.024) and increase in oxygen saturation (p=.048) from pre-to post-session on both days. No other significant differences were found. Implications for future research studies and clinical practice are examined.