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The Impact of Music Relaxation on Affect and Relaxation of Stressed Female College Students

He, Yinglan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1524172499066518

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Music (MM), Ohio University, Music Therapy (Fine Arts).
Female college students have reported experiencing higher stress levels than their male counterparts. Relaxation techniques that alleviate psychological stress by helping them reach a better mental/emotional state may be more helpful for coping with stress. Music relaxation intervention in audio recorded forms were found to be effective for multi-faceted consequences of stress. However, effects of its live forms presented by a music therapist for alleviating psychological stress among female college students remain under-researched. This pilot study explored the impact of a live music relaxation intervention on female college students who self-reported as stressed (N = 31). The objectives of this study were to assess changes in five pre- and post-intervention states: negative affect, positive affect, contentment, relaxation responses, and observable relaxation responses. The focus of this study was to learn about qualitative differences in participants’ subjective experience with the intervention. Thus, self-reports were chosen to assess the aforementioned mental states. To provide insightful information for future investigations, the researcher also collected information about participants’ satisfaction levels and subjective experiences with the applied intervention. Results of the primary research questions indicate that benefits of the applied intervention for stressed female college students may be associated with decreasing states of negative affect, promoting relaxation, and relaxing muscle tension. Although positive affect scores dropped post-intervention, the ten positive affect items contained higher arousal words, which might not be appropriate descriptors for the participants’ subjective experience with the applied intervention. Results of the secondary research questions indicate that all participants were either somewhat satisfied (19.4%) or very satisfied (80.6%) with the experience, and most participants (93.5%) expressed willingness to receive a comparable intervention in the future. Content analysis of their review of the intervention reveals that, during or after the intervention, the participants felt calm, relaxed, safe, and/or happy, free of worries/emotions, and their breathing deepened and/or muscle tension relaxed gradually. More than half of the participants (64.6%) noticed changes in at least one musical element or in the music. Nearly half of the participants (45.2%) commented that the auditory stimuli of the experience were positive for them. Of the 17 participants who indicated the pros and cons of a present therapist, 88.2% suggested the therapist helped with the process. Future studies that consider a complete treatment cycle with a larger sample size are recommended to build a clinical foundation for the use of music relaxation interventions/music therapy for female college students who self-report as stressed.
Kamile Geist (Committee Chair)
Richard Wetzel (Committee Member)
Peggy Zoccola (Committee Member)
Brent Beeson (Committee Member)
152 p.
Behavioral Psychology; Music; Psychology
music relaxation; female college students; stress; PANAS; relaxation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • He, Y. (2018). The Impact of Music Relaxation on Affect and Relaxation of Stressed Female College Students [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1524172499066518

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • He, Yinglan. The Impact of Music Relaxation on Affect and Relaxation of Stressed Female College Students. 2018. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1524172499066518.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • He, Yinglan. "The Impact of Music Relaxation on Affect and Relaxation of Stressed Female College Students." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1524172499066518

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.