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The Effects of Group Music Therapy on the Emotional Health of Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Pilot Study
Sponsor: Yu Chia Chang
Summary
The goal of this pilot study is to learn whether group music therapy improves the emotional health of residents living in long-term care facilities. It will also examine the feasibility of integrating an artificial intelligence (AI)-based emotion recognition model into routine psychosocial interventions. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does group music therapy improve positive affect and reduce negative affect, depression, and loneliness among long-term care residents? Are AI-based facial emotion recognition results consistent with residents' self-reported emotional assessments? Researchers will use a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design to evaluate changes before and after a 6-week group music therapy program. The study will also compare subjective questionnaire results with objective facial emotion recognition outputs generated by the PaLI Gemma 2 multimodal model. Participants will: Attend one 60-minute group music therapy session per week for 6 weeks Complete emotional health questionnaires before the first session and after the sixth session Be recorded during sessions using a non-invasive camera system for facial emotion analysis Have their questionnaire results compared with AI-based emotion recognition outputs to evaluate consistency and feasibility This pilot study will provide preliminary evidence regarding both the psychological benefits of group music therapy and the feasibility of applying AI-supported multimodal emotion assessment in long-term care settings.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
65 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
20
Start Date
2026-02-18
Completion Date
2027-01-31
Last Updated
2026-04-17
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
Group Music Therapy
This intervention consists of a structured 6-week group music therapy program designed for residents of a long-term care facility. Participants attend one 60-minute session per week, for a total of six sessions. Sessions are conducted in small groups (approximately 10 participants per group) and are led by a trained music therapist with support from nursing staff. The intervention follows an active music therapy approach and includes four core components: (1) listening to culturally familiar music to evoke emotional resonance; (2) interactive instrument play using simple percussion instruments to promote engagement and coordination; (3) group singing and vocal expression to facilitate emotional expression and social bonding; and (4) brief group sharing discussions to encourage reflection and interpersonal connection. The program is progressively structured to enhance emotional engagement and social interaction in a supportive environment. In addition to standard psychosocial outcome
Locations (1)
China Medical University
Taichung, Taichung City, Taiwan