The aim of this study is to examine whether resource-oriented music therapy helps psychiatric patients with low therapy motivation to improve negative symptoms and other health-related outcomes.

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Mental Disorders Mood Disorders Personality Disorders Schizophrenia and Disorders with Psychotic Features	Procedure: Resource-oriented music therapy  Procedure: Standard care	Phase III

Further Study Details: 

Primary Outcomes: negative symptoms (SANS scale) at 1, 3, and 9 months
Secondary Outcomes: general symptoms; general functioning; clinical global impressions; interest in music; motivation for change; self-efficacy; self-esteem; vitality; affect regulation; relational competence; actual social relationships; (all with specific scales at 1, 3, and 9 months)
Expected Total Enrollment:  144

Background: Previous research has shown positive effects of music therapy for people with schizophrenia and other mental disorders. In clinical practice, music therapy is often offered to psychiatric patients with low therapy motivation, but little research exists about this population. The aim of this study is to examine whether resource-oriented music therapy helps psychiatric patients with low therapy motivation to improve negative symptoms and other health-related outcomes. An additional aim of the study is to examine the mechanisms of change through music therapy.

Method: 144 adults with a non-organic mental disorder (ICD-10: F1 to F6) who have low therapy motivation and a willingness to work with music will be randomly assigned to an experimental or a control condition. All participants will receive standard care, and the experimental group will in addition be offered biweekly sessions of music therapy over a period of three months. Outcomes will be measured by a blind assessor before and 1, 3, and 9 months after randomisation.

Discussion: The findings to be expected from this study will fill an important gap in the knowledge of treatment effects for a patient group that does not easily benefit from treatment. The study’s close link to clinical practice, as well as its size and comprehensiveness, will make its results well generalisable to clinical practice.

Ages Eligible for Study:  18 Years and above,  Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Non-organic mental disorder
• Low therapy motivation
• Willingness to work with music

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe mental retardation
• Life-threatening somatic illness

Please refer to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov identifier  NCT00137189

Christian Gold, PhD      +47-57866834    christian.gold@hisf.no

Norway, Rogaland
      Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger,  Rogaland,  4068,  Norway; Not yet recruiting
      Jæren District Psychiatric Centre, Bryne,  Rogaland,  4349,  Norway; Not yet recruiting
Norway, Sogn og Fjordane
      Nordfjord Psychiatry Centre, Nordfjordeid,  Sogn og Fjordane,  6770,  Norway; Recruiting

Study chairs or principal investigators

Christian Gold, PhD,  Principal Investigator,  Sogn og Fjordane University College   
Brynjulf Stige, PhD,  Study Director,  Sogn og Fjordane University College   

Study ID Numbers:  RCT-MTPSY
Last Updated:  August 26, 2005
Record first received:  August 26, 2005
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00137189
Health Authority: Norway: The National Committees for Research Ethics in Norway
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-08-30