Group Music Therapy for Chronic Pain Management in Active Duty Service Members

Group Music Therapy for Chronic Pain Management in Active Duty Service Members With Chronic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week group music therapy intervention for active duty service members with chronic pain. Participants will be randomized to either a group music therapy intervention plus standard care or standard care alone. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, post- treatment (8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up. Primary outcomes include pain interference and pain intensity. Secondary outcomes include pain-related self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, positive affect, sleep disturbance, patient perception of change, and pain medication use. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of participants who receive music therapy to explore subjective experiences and perceived treatment benefits.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Chronic Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Music intervention

Detailed Description

Chronic pain is a significant health concern among military personnel and veterans and is associated with disability and reduced quality of life. Music therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention that may address biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to chronic pain.

This mixed-methods research study embeds qualitative inquiry within a randomized controlled trial. A total of 130 active duty service members with chronic pain will be randomized 1:1 to either an 8-week group music therapy intervention plus standard care or standard care alone. The music therapy intervention consists of eight weekly 75-minute sessions delivered in groups of 6-8 participants and includes music-guided breathing, music-based relaxation exercises, group improvisation, verbal processing, listening to meaningful music, and instruction in music-based pain self-management strategies.

Primary outcomes are pain interference and pain intensity. Secondary outcomes include pain-related self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, positive affect, sleep disturbance, patient global impression of change, disability, and pain medication use. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, week 8, and 1-month follow-up. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with approximately 20 participants from the music therapy arm after follow-up assessment to explore treatment experiences and perceived benefits

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 130
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Joke Bradt, PhD; Phone Number: 2673595508; Email: jbradt@drexel.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Alaska
    • Anchorage, Alaska, United States, 99505
      • Recruiting
      • Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)
      • Contact: Earl J Banning, PsyD; Phone Number: 9075800014; Email: earl.j.banning.mil@health.mil
      • Principal Investigator: Earl J Banning, PsyD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Active duty service member
• Age 18 -64 years of age
• Diagnosis of chronic benign pain for at least 3 months
• Average pain severity greater than 4/10 on the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale
• Able to read and understand English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy
• Mental health conditions that would prevent compliance with or productive participation in group sessions
• Cognitive impairment preventing completion of study measures
• Malignant disease
• Progressive neurological disorder
• Moderate to profound hearing impairment not corrected with hearing aids
• Previous participation in music therapy services at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group Music Therapy + Standard Care; Participants will receive eight weekly 75-minute group music therapy sessions in addition to standard pain management care. Sessions include music-guided breathing, relaxation exercises, group improvisation, music listening, discussion, and music-based pain self-management training.	Behavioral: Music intervention; An 8-week standardized music therapy protocol delivered in weekly 75-minute group sessions. The intervention is guided by a biopsychosocial framework and includes music-guided breathing, relaxation exercises, group improvisation, processing of music experiences, meaningful music listening, and home practice of music-based pain management skills.; Other Names: Group Music Therapy
No Intervention: Standard Care; Participants will receive standard pain management services available at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. These may include medication management, physical therapy, acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, and interventional pain procedures.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Intensity	As measured by the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS), where each item is scored 0-10 and a higher total score indicates a worse outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, and 1-Month Follow-Up as well as pre and post- session
Pain Interference	As measured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference 8-item Scale, where each item is scored 1-5 and a higher total score indicates a worse outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, and 1-Month Follow-Up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Medication Use	Medication use from participant daily reports for 7 days	Baseline, Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up
Pain-related self-efficacy	As measured by the 6-item University of Washington Pain Related Self-Efficacy Scale (UWPRSE), where each item is scored 1-5 and a higher total score indicates a better outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up
Depression	As measured by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire scale (PHQ-9), where each item is scored 0-3 and a higher total score indicates a worse outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up
Anxiety	As measured by the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), where each item is scored 0-3 and a higher total score indicates a worse outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up
Positive Well-Being	As measured by the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), where each item is scored 1-5 and a higher total score indicates a better outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up
Sleep Disturbance	As measured by the 8-item PROMIS® Sleep Disturbance Short Form-8a, where each item is scored 1-5 and a higher total score indicates a worse outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up
Disability	As measured by the 10-item Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), where each item is scored 0-5 and a higher total score indicates a worse outcome.	Baseline, Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up
Patient Perception of Change	As measured by the Patient Global Impression of Change Scale (PGIC), a single item scale that uses a 1-7 score and a higher score indicates a better outcome.	Week 8, 1-Month Follow-Up

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (Moderator)	As measured by the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), where each item is scored 0-4 and a higher total score indicates a worse outcome.	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
• Collaborators: Drexel University; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Paul Pasquina, MD, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Principal Investigator: Joke Bradt, PhD, Drexel University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 17, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 5, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 5, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): August 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 25, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Chronic Pain; Music Therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Chronic Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: HU00012420072

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