Music improved positive mood for caregivers during chemotherapy visits
Caregivers reported better positive mood and less distress with music than without it. No effect on negative-mood change was detected; the abstract gives no effect sizes.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Caregivers who listened to music during chemotherapy visits reported improved positive mood and reduced distress compared with caregivers who did not listen. No effect on change in negative mood was detected. The findings concern caregivers' reported feelings during treatment appointments; the abstract leaves the magnitude and persistence of these changes unclear.
The abstract gives result directions and statistical significance without score differences or confidence intervals. It does not establish whether changes continued beyond the appointment.
What researchers found
Caregiver mood and distress
During infusion visits, music versus no music favored reported positive mood and distress; no negative-mood effect was detected.
Caregivers were the participants
The randomized participants accompanied patients receiving chemotherapy. Researchers assessed these caregivers' own reports of mood and distress, so the outcomes describe their experiences during the visit.
Mood outcomes differed
Positive mood and negative mood were measured separately. Improvement in positive mood does not establish improvement in every aspect of mood, and the negative-mood result does not prove an effect was absent.
The original publication
What About the Caregivers? Music Medicine as a Tool for Improving Psychological Well-Being Among Caregivers During Cancer Chemotherapy Treatment.
Harper FWK, Moore TF, Heath AS et al.
JCO Oncol Pract · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 40554733
- Record checked
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