Mechanisms of Active Music Engagement to Improve Health Outcomes of Children With Cancer and Parents (PINPOINT)

Music therapy, a frequently used arts-based therapy, has become standard palliative care in many pediatric and adult hospitals; however, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which music therapy interventions work. This study investigates behavioral, social, and psychological factors that may explain how an Active Music Engagement (AME) intervention (i.e., an interactive, music-based play intervention) works to manage emotional distress and improve positive health outcomes in parents and young children with cancer during treatment. Findings will provide scientific and clinically relevant practice knowledge to guide delivery of music therapy as a complementary therapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Active Music Engagement; Behavioral: Audio Storybooks

Detailed Description

Music therapy, a frequently used arts-based therapy, has become standard palliative care in many pediatric and adult hospitals; however, few studies have examined mechanisms by which music therapy interventions work.Based on the Contextual Support Model of Music Therapy, the investigators developed and tested the Active Music Engagement (AME) intervention, establishing it as a feasible and acceptable intervention that reduces emotional distress in young children (ages 3-8) hospitalized for cancer treatment.Emotional distress in young children with cancer during acute treatment and their parents is a prevalent,persistent problem associated with physical symptom distress and diminished quality of life and family function. The music therapist-led AME uses music-based play and parent education/support (music play resource kit; tip sheets), is easy to implement, and teaches parents/children how to therapeutically use a familiar activity to manage distress. The purpose of this two group randomized controlled trial is to identify behavioral, sociological, and psychological variables contributing to positive outcomes observed in previous AME studies (i.e., mediators) and identify for whom the intervention works (i.e., moderators). The investigators will examine proximal mediators of child engagement and parent-child interaction and distal mediators of perceived family normalcy, parent confidence (self-efficacy) about their ability to support their child during treatment, and independent parent/child use of music and play activities to manage distress during hospitalization. The investigators hypothesize these factors mediate change in outcomes of child emotional distress, physical symptom distress, and quality of life; parent emotional/traumatic distress and quality of life; and family function. Specific aims are to examine: 1) effects of proximal and distal mediators of AME on young child/parent outcomes; 2) moderators of AME on young child/parent distress; 3) explore child physical symptom distress (pain, fatigue, nausea) in mediation and moderation models. Child/parent dyads (n=184) will be stratified by age and randomized in blocks of 6 to AME or audio-storybooks; each group will receive three 45-minute sessions with a credentialed music therapist for 3 consecutive days with data collection at baseline, post-intervention, and 30 days later. Mediation effects will be estimated using ANCOVA, fitting appropriate mediation models using MPlus and then testing indirect effects using the percentile bootstrap approach to estimate indirect effect. Moderation effects will be tested by including appropriate interaction terms of the potential moderator with the intervention indicator in our models.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 137
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
      • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
  • Indiana
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
      • Riley Hospital for Children
  • Missouri
    • Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 64155
      • Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 3 years to 8 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria (Child/Parent):

• Children ages 3-8 years inclusive.
• Expected treatment course for at least 3 days to receive chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
• A consistent parent who can be present for all sessions.

Exclusion Criteria (Child/Parent):

• Child and/or parent do not speak English.
• Child has a significant cognitive impairment that hinders participation (based on physician judgment).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1-Active Music Engagement; Three 45-minute sessions with a board-certified music therapist delivered over three days. Sessions are delivered in a private setting during in-patient hospitalization. During the first visit, parent and child will receive information on common responses of young children to cancer treatment and how parents can use music play activities to support their child during treatment. The music therapist will lead parent and child in a variety of music play activities. Parent and child will receive a music kit that includes items such as hand-held rhythm instruments, puppets, and a music CD. During the second and third visit the music therapist will lead parent and child child through the music play activities, answer questions, and make suggestions for using these activities in the hospital and at home.	Behavioral: Active Music Engagement; Three 45-minute sessions with a board-certified music therapist delivered over three days. Sessions are delivered in a private setting during in-patient hospitalization. During the first visit, parent and child will receive information on common responses of young children to cancer treatment and how parents can use music play activities to support their child during treatment. The music therapist will lead parent and child in a variety of music play activities. Parent and child will receive a music kit that includes items such as hand-held rhythm instruments, puppets, and a music CD. During the second and third visit the music therapist will lead parent and child child through the music play activities, answer questions, and make suggestions for using these activities in the hospital and at home.
Experimental: Arm II- Audio-Storybooks; Three 45-minute sessions with a board-certified music therapist delivered over three days. Sessions are delivered in a private setting during in-patient hospitalization. Each session children/parents will choose and listen to one of three illustrated children's books with audio recorded narration.	Behavioral: Audio Storybooks; Three 45-minute sessions with a board-certified music therapist delivered over three days. Sessions are delivered in a private setting during in-patient hospitalization. Each session children/parents will choose and listen to one of three illustrated children's books with audio recorded narration.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Family Normalcy Perspective - Family Management Measure (FaMM)	Family Normalcy is assessed through The Family Management Measure (FaMM) - Family Life Difficulty Subscale includes 14-items rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Subscale items address parents' perceptions of the extent to which having a child with a chronic condition makes family life difficult. Higher values indicate more difficulty managing the condition. Score range 14 - 70.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)
Parent Self-Efficacy - Parental Beliefs Scale (PBS).	Parent Self-Efficacy is assessed through the Parental Beliefs Scale (PBS) for Hospitalized Children, a 20-item scale that measures parental beliefs about their confidence in anticipating changes in their hospitalized child's behavior and confidence in their parental role during hospitalization. Scores range from 20-100, with higher scores indicating more positive beliefs.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)
Child Emotional Distress - Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ)	Child Emotional Distress is assessed through the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-PF98) Mental Health Subscale (Landgraf et al., 1999). This subscale consists of 16 items rated on a 5-point Likert-scale. Scores range from 16 to 80 with lower scores indicating better mental health.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)
Child Quality of Life - KINDL.	Child Quality of Life is assessed through the KINDL Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children. The KINDL consists of 24 parent-report items rated on a 5-point Likert-scale for each subscale. Scores range from 20-100 with higher scores indicating better quality of life.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)
Parent Emotional and Traumatic Stress Symptoms - Profile of Mood States-Short Form (POMS).	Parent Emotional and Traumatic Distress was assessed through the Profile of Mood States - Short Form (POMS-SF) which measures mood disturbance. There are 37 items which respondents rate on a 5-point Likert scale. Scores range from 0 to 148 with higher scores indicating greater mood disturbance.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)
Parent Emotional and Traumatic Stress Symptoms - Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R)	Stress Symptoms assessed through the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), a 22-item measure that measures traumatic stress symptoms in response to a traumatic event that is specified in the instructions. Parents respond to each item using a 5-point Likert scale. Scores range from 0 to 12 with higher scores indicating greater traumatic stress symptoms.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)
Parent Quality of Life - Index of Well Being.	Parent Quality of Life is assessed through the Index of Well-being, a 9-item semantic differential scale describing present life using adjective extremes. Scores range from 7 to 63 with higher scores meaning greater well-being.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)
Family Function - Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES II).	Family Function is assessed through the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale II (FACES II), a 30-item scale of items rated using a 5-point Likert scale. Scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores meaning higher family adaptability and cohesion.	Time 2(post-session 3 on day 3) and Time 3 (30-days post-session 3, approximately 33 days)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Indiana University
• Collaborators: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sheri L Robb, PhD, Indiana University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Robb SL, Clair AA, Watanabe M, Monahan PO, Azzouz F, Stouffer JW, Ebberts A, Darsie E, Whitmer C, Walker J, Nelson K, Hanson-Abromeit D, Lane D, Hannan A. A non-randomized [corrected] controlled trial of the active music engagement (AME) intervention on children with cancer. Psychooncology. 2008 Jul;17(7):699-708. doi: 10.1002/pon.1301. Erratum In: Psychooncology. 2008 Sep;17(9):957.
• Robb SL, Haase JE, Perkins SM, Haut PR, Henley AK, Knafl KA, Tong Y. Pilot Randomized Trial of Active Music Engagement Intervention Parent Delivery for Young Children With Cancer. J Pediatr Psychol. 2017 Mar 1;42(2):208-219. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsw050.
• Robb SL. The effect of therapeutic music interventions on the behavior of hospitalized children in isolation: developing a contextual support model of music therapy. J Music Ther. 2000 Summer;37(2):118-46. doi: 10.1093/jmt/37.2.118.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 26, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 6, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): April 6, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 27, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 15, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): March 21, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 11, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 15, 2021
• Last Verified: October 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: children; music therapy; parents; neoplasms; play
• Other Study ID Numbers: R01NR015789 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No