Impact of Music Therapy on Emotional Resilience in Adolescents with Anxiety

Thesis Abstract

Adolescents experiencing anxiety often exhibit diminished emotional resilience, which adversely impacts their social functioning, academic performance, and overall mental health, thereby necessitating effective intervention strategies that bolster adaptive emotional responses. This study investigates the impact of music therapy on enhancing emotional resilience among adolescents with clinical anxiety, aiming to provide empirical evidence for its therapeutic efficacy in this vulnerable population. The specific objectives are to assess changes in emotional resilience levels pre- and post- intervention, explore adolescents' subjective experiences with music therapy, and determine the relationship between the intensity of music therapy sessions and resilience outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods experimental design, the research involved a purposive sample of 120 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder according to DSM-5 criteria, recruited from mental health clinics within a metropolitan setting. Participants were randomly assigned to either a music therapy intervention group or a control group receiving standard care, with each group comprising 60 adolescents. The intervention consisted of twelve bi-weekly, 60-minute music therapy sessions guided by certified music therapists, focusing on improvisation, songwriting, and receptive listening tailored to individual preferences and therapeutic goals. Data collection instruments included the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) for quantitative measurement of resilience levels at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at a three-month follow-up, alongside semi-structured interviews conducted with a subset of 30 adolescents to capture qualitative insights into their experiences. The reliability and validity of the CD-RISC in this context were established through Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.89 and confirmatory factor analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA to detect significant differences in resilience scores across time points, complemented by hierarchical multiple regression to examine the predictive value of session frequency on resilience outcomes. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's framework, allowing for the emergence of common themes related to emotional growth and therapeutic engagement. Expected findings indicate a statistically significant increase in resilience scores among adolescents in the music therapy group compared to controls, with improvements sustained at three-month follow-up. The qualitative analysis is anticipated to reveal themes of emotional empowerment, increased self-awareness, and improved coping strategies attributable to personalized musical engagement. These results are hypothesized to support the theoretical assumptions of the transactional model of stress and coping as well as the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, illustrating how musical activities foster resilience through emotional regulation and social connectedness. This study contributes novel empirical evidence to the discourse on music therapy as a viable adjunct intervention for adolescent anxiety, highlighting its role in strengthening emotional resilience. The findings underscore the importance of integrating music therapy into clinical practice and mental health programs targeting adolescents. Based on the results, the research recommends the institutionalization of structured music therapy sessions within adolescent mental health services and calls for further longitudinal studies to evaluate long-term effects. Additionally, it suggests exploring the differential impact of various musical activities and the potential moderating effects of socio-cultural factors on therapy outcomes to optimize personalized resilience-building interventions.