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Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 4/2012

01-04-2012 | Original Article

Music’s relevance for adolescents and young adults with cancer: a constructivist research approach

Authors: Clare O’Callaghan, Philippa Barry, Kate Thompson

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 4/2012

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Abstract

Purpose

Music is one of the most widely used activities amongst young people, significant in personal and group identity, motivation, physical release, and emotional support. Adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYA) require specialized care because of intensified challenges related to developmental vulnerability, treatment toxicity effects, and slower improvements in survival rates compared to other age groups. To advance effective supportive care for AYA, understanding their thoughts about music is necessary. This study examines AYAs’ perspectives about music’s role in their lives.

Methods

A constructivist research approach with grounded theory design was applied. Twelve people, 15 to 25 years old, known to onTrac@PeterMac Victorian Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Service, participated. Respondents completed a brief music demographic questionnaire and participated in a semi-structured interview. Qualitative inter-rater reliability was integrated.

Results

Participants mostly reported music’s calming, supportive, and relaxing effects, which alleviated hardship associated with their cancer diagnoses. Themes encompassed: music backgrounds, changed “musicking”, endurance and adjustment, time with music therapists, and wisdom. Music provided supportive messages, enabled personal and shared understandings about cancer’s effects, and elicited helpful physical, emotional, and imagery states. Music therapy could also promote normalized and supportive connections with others. A musician, however, struggled to get music “back” post-treatment. Supportive music-based strategies were recommended for other AYA and their health care providers.

Conclusions

Music can signify and creatively enable AYAs’ hope, endurance, identity development, and adjustment through cancer treatment and post-treatment phases. Health professionals are encouraged to support AYAs’ music-based self-care and “normalized” activities.
Footnotes
1
“Music therapy is the planned and creative use of music to attain and maintain health and well-being”. It is an allied health profession provided in Australia and over 40 countries [12].
 
2
This section is informed by literature discussing adolescents’ and youths’ music usage but is regarded as applicable to the adolescent and young adult group discussed in this paper
 
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Metadata
Title
Music’s relevance for adolescents and young adults with cancer: a constructivist research approach
Authors
Clare O’Callaghan
Philippa Barry
Kate Thompson
Publication date
01-04-2012
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 4/2012
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1104-1

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