Music and music therapy's relevance for paediatric cancer patients and their families: Constructivist research.

Abstract

Purpose: This paper will present an overview of the results of a multi-site qualitative music therapy research project that was conducted across three tertiary hospitals in 2009-2010 (O'Callaghan, Baron, Barry & Dun, 2011) in Victoria, Australia. Method(s): A Constructivist research approach with grounded theory design was conducted. This included the clinical data-mining (Epstein, 2010) of four music therapists' "practice wisdom" and interviews with paeditaric oncology patients (up to 14-years-old) and parents. A Mosaic research approach (Clark & Moss, 2001) inspired the data-collection process and the data included transcripts from focus groups (O'Callaghan, Dun, Baron & Barry, in press), research interviews, and observations of children's musical involvement. Result(s): Interviews were conducted with 28 parents and 26 patients. Thematic findings included that the child's cancer experience can be helped by: their own music usage (including through acoustic and electronic forms); their musical interactions with families, friends and others in their communities; and hospital music therapy and related programs. Therapists' interpretations were that: music is imperative in "healthy" children's attachment and adjustment; psychosocial and health factors affect young cancer patients' interactions with music and therapists; and positive transformation can occur through young cancer patients' observing musical instruments and through music therapy engagement. Conclusion(s): Music therapy can calm frightened children, assist during invasive diagnostic and treatment procedures, promote supportive connectedness with others, enable self-care, and inspire playful and humorous creativity associated with "normalcy" and hope. Preferred music and music therapy involvement can be a valuable supportive care modality in paediatric oncology and should be freely available.