[Role of music activities in psychiatric rehabilitation]

In Hungary, the use of music in rehabilitation is a scarcely researched area. In this study we aimed to examine the structure, purpose, and role of music activities conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Szeged. We studied the rehabilitation programs of psychiatric patients and the role of music activities in healing and reintegration. All of this has been compared to the structure, timing and effectiveness of music therapy methods used worldwide.

The 10-person sample consisted of patients participating in the rehabilitation program of the department, who agreed to attend music sessions there over a two-week interval. During the first and last interventions, we mea - sured patient satisfaction with life, perceived social support, and levels of depression and trait anxiety. In addition, we measured changes in anxiety during a single music session, and a short structured interview was completed with each patient at the time of the last session.

Our results show that patients' perceived social support increased (t[9]=-3,61, p< 0,01) during the intervention period - especially regarding the family dimension (t[9]=-2,57 , p=0,03). The level of anxiety decreased (t[9]=2,42, p=0,03), and the level of depression also showed a marginally significant decrease (t[9]=2,11, p= 0,06). No significant differences were found in the changes of life satisfaction and the immediate anxiety-relieving effect of music practice. The content of the interviews however confirmed that there is indeed an immediate anxiety-relieving effect of a single music session.

To summarise the quantitative and qualitative data, it can be stated that the music activities of the department are several points in line with the international practice, and operate with low risk and high efficiency. The work done here has confirmed that music activities can be an effective method along with the clinical treatments and play an important role in the rehabilitation process.