Music Therapy in Frontline Healthcare Workers

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to investigate (a) the self-described impact that the COVID-19
pandemic has had on frontline healthcare workers, and (b) the use of music therapy to improve
mental healththis population. Built on top of our successful neuroscience and neuroimaging
research, we aim to use behavioural assessments combined with portable EEG technology to
monitor how metrics of brain function and mental health change over time in frontline
healthcare workers undergoing Music Therapy.

Hypothesis:

We expect to see improvements in behavioural/emotional metrics as a result of music therapy -
with correlations to changes in brain activation, markers of attention, and connectivity.

Justification:

Music Therapy interventions involve the use of live music (performed or created by the
therapist and/or patient), and a process that includes patient-specific assessment,
treatment, and evaluation. Music Therapy has shown to be effective in addressing symptoms
related to global and social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders,
gait and related activities in Parkinson's disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality.

Objectives:

1. The first objective of this study is to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has
affected the lives of frontline healthcare workers

2. The second objective is to investigate the effect of music therapy on mental health in
frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

3. The third objective is to investigate EEG-related changes in frontline healthcare
workers with music therapy, and correlate to behavioural changes

Research Design:

This is a longitudinal study design. 20 frontline healthcare workers will be recruited. 10
will be randomly assigned to no therapy (control) and 10 will be assigned to a music therapy
(intervention) group. Random assignment will be prospectively performed using Microsoft
Excel. Each subject code will be randomly assigned a decimal number from 0-1. All subject
codes will then be sorted with their random numbers in ascending order. The 10 subject codes
with the largest number will be placed in the intervention group, and the remaining 10 in the
control group

Participants in the therapy group will complete 4 weeks of music therapy. Experimental
measures will be completed before and after the 4 week period.

Statistical Analysis:

Outcomes from the EEG and behavioural assessments will be compared across groups and time
points using a repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).