article · Medicine
Combining music therapy with cognitive restructuring therapy can help individuals gain control over emotional distress. A study examined the effects of this combined intervention among 280 married couples located in south-east Nigeria. Participants were evaluated using the Perceived Emotional Distress Inventory, with outcomes measured against a waitlisted control group. While baseline emotional distress levels were comparable between both groups, participants undergoing the combined therapy experienced significant decreases in distress symptoms. In contrast, the waitlisted group showed no meaningful improvement either immediately post-treatment or across three subsequent follow-up assessments. The positive results persisted throughout the follow-up period, demonstrating that integrating music therapy with cognitive restructuring offers an effective, enduring approach for alleviating emotional distress among couples.
Emotional distress within marriages can severely affect mental well-being and relationship stability. This research indicates that blending creative arts, such as music, with structured psychological techniques provides lasting relief from emotional strain. Demonstrating sustained improvements beyond initial treatment offers clinicians evidence-based options to support couples experiencing emotional distress.
This applied and tested therapeutic approach could enable healthcare providers, family counsellors, and mental health clinics to integrate combined music and cognitive restructuring protocols into couples therapy services. Because the intervention was successfully evaluated in a trial with 280 couples, it is close to clinical adoption, though wider implementation would require tailored training programmes for therapists and counsellors.
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BACKGROUND: Music therapy combined with cognitive restructuring could provide a mechanism to improve patients' sense of control over emotional distress. This study evaluates the effect of music therapy combined with cognitive restructuring therapy on emotional distress in a sample of Nigerian couples. METHODS: The participants for the study were 280 couples in south-east Nigeria. Perceived emotional distress inventory (PEDI) was used to assess emotional symptoms. Repeated measures with analysis of variance were used to examine the effects of the intervention. Mean rank was also used to document the level of changes in emotional distress across groups. Effect sizes were also reported with partial η. RESULTS: There were no significant baseline differences in emotional distress level between participants in the music therapy with cognitive restructuring group and waitlisted group. Significant decreases in the level of emotional distress were observed in the music therapy with cognitive restructuring group, but the waitlisted group demonstrated no significant change in their score both at posttreatment and 3 follow-up assessments. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest music therapy with cognitive restructuring therapy is effective for reducing emotional distress of couples. In addition, the positive effect of the music therapy with cognitive restructuring therapy program can persist at follow-up. Therefore, therapists have to continue to examine the beneficial effects of music therapy with cognitive restructuring therapy on emotional distress level of couples both in Nigeria and in other countries.
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DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000011637
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