Search

Aims: To explore the effects of preferred music therapy on peer attachment, depression, and salivary cortisol among early adolescents. Background: As adolescents enter puberty, they start to seek partnering relationships among peers. Peer attachment is central for adolescents and greatly influences their physical and psychological development. Design: A pre‐test‐posttest control group design. Methods: The data were collected from July ‐ October 2016. A total of 65 individuals were included. The treatment group received 40 min of music therapy twice per week over the course of 10 weeks. The control group maintained its typical routine. The research data were collected using structured questionnaires, including basic information, the Inventory of Peer Attachment, the Beck Depression Inventory‐II questionnaires, and salivary cortisol concentrations. Statistical analysis methods included percentages, chi‐square tests, t tests, analyses of covariance, and the Johnson–Neyman technique. Results: There were statistically significant differences in peer attachment, depression, and salivary cortisol levels in the music group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the findings showed that early adolescents with more severe depression experienced greater improvement through preferred music therapy. Conclusion: The results allude to the beneficial effects of receiving preferred music therapy in terms of the peer attachment, depression, and salivary cortisol levels of early adolescents. Adjustments should be made based on the characteristics of student groups to develop suitable and safe music therapy and to reduce the risks of poor mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To explore and describe the experience of social adjustment of adolescents with Tourette syndrome in Taiwan. Background: Although Tourette syndrome is a non‐life‐threatening disease, the inherent difficulties in controlling tics and comorbidities can cause long‐term physical and psychological issues, as well as social maladjustment among adolescents. Good social adjustment can promote mental health among adolescents. Currently, it is not clear how adolescents with Tourette syndrome can self‐adjust and maintain harmonious social interaction with others. Design: Descriptive phenomenological approach was used in this study. Four criteria were applied to establish the trustworthiness or methodological rigour. Methods: Sixteen adolescents with Tourette syndrome were recruited by purposive sampling from a medical centre in Northern Taiwan. Semistructured one‐on‐one interviews were performed from March 2014–April 2015 for data collection. Every participant was interviewed once or twice, and each interview lasted for duration of around 60–90 min. Data were analysed with Giorgi's phenomenological method for data analysis. Results: Three themes were identified from the adolescent' interviews. The themes were included visible and invisible destitution, moulding a socially acceptable self and coexisting friends and foes. Conclusions: Adolescents with Tourette syndrome experienced that tics are often not understood nor accepted during social interactions with others. However, with age and autonomy of adolescents, they were able to adjust and develop a socially acceptable body image and maintain amicable social interactions with others. Accompanied by positive thinking, support from friends and families, the adolescents could achieve good social adjustments for living with Tourette syndrome. Relevance to clinical practice: The experiences and feelings highlighted in this study can bring awareness to nurses and healthcare professionals for developing interventions that promote healthy social adjustment and mental health for adolescents with Tourette syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Chinese five-element music therapy on nursing students with depressed mood. We randomly assigned 71 nursing students from Taiwan with depressed mood to the music and control groups. The music group ( n = 31) received Chinese five-element music therapy, whereas the participants in the control group ( n = 40) maintained their routine lifestyles with no music therapy. All of the participants were assessed using the Depression Mood Self- Report Inventory for Adolescence, and their salivary cortisol levels were measured. The study found that there was a significant reduction in depression between the pre- and posttherapy test scores and in salivary cortisol levels over time in the music group. After receiving the music therapy, the nursing students' depression levels were significantly reduced ( P = 0.038) compared with the control group ( P < 0.001). These results indicate that the Chinese five-element music therapy has the potential to reduce the level of depression in nursing students with depressed mood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]