The Effect of Therapeutic Nursing Intervention using Music Activities on Depression in Elderly Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

The experimental research aimed to examine the effects of therapeutic nursing intervention using music activities on depression in elderly patients with ischemic stroke. Subjects consisted of 40 elderly patients with ischemic stroke with mild to moderate depression. They were equally divided into an experimental group and a control group, and were pair-matched by gender, age, levels of depression, and levels of activity daily living. Research instruments included the therapeutic nursing intervention using musical activities for depression among elderly patients with ischemic stroke; a record form of activity attendance; a demographic data questionnaire; Thai Geriatric Depression Scale with the reliability of .93, and Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index. The experimental group received the therapeutic nursing intervention using musical activities; whereas, the control group received regular nursing care. The intervention was implemented and the data were collected from June, 16 to August, 1, 2014. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, paired t-test, and independent t-test.

Major findings were as follows: 1) for the experimental group, after the experiment, a mean score of depression was statistically significantly lower than that before the experiment (t = 15.274, p < .001); and 2) after the experiment, a mean score of depression of the experimental group was statistically significantly lower than that of the control group (t = 8.768, p < .001).

This study suggests that health care workers should be trained to provide holistic care for elderly patients with stroke and depression. Additionally, the therapeutic nursing intervention using musical activities should be appropriately applied to individual elderly patient with stroke and depression.