The effect of music listening intervention applied during radiation therapy on the anxiety and comfort level in women with early-stage breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Introduction The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a music listening intervention applied during radiation therapy on the anxiety and comfort level experienced by women with early-stage breast cancer. Method This randomized controlled study was conducted with 60 patients residing in a city located in the western Turkey. After providing informed consent, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Radiation Therapy Comfort Questionnaire (RTCQ) were administered. A music listening intervention was applied to the patients in the intervention group during radiation therapy once a day for 5 weeks. The patients in the intervention group listened to Bach’s 19 Trio Sonatas via an MP3 player with headphones for 20–40 min. The HADS and RTCQ were administered after the 5th week to evaluate anxiety and comfort levels. Results When HADS and RTCQ scores of the patients in the control and intervention groups before and after the intervention were compared, the differences between the groups were found to be statistically significant in favour of the intervention group ( p p = 0.000 ) and HAD-D (F = 46.848, p = 0.000 ) subscales of the HADS. A significant difference was also found between intervention and control groups the pretest-posttest RTCQ scores (F = 50.434, p = 0.000 ). Conclusions Music may provide an effective, non-invasive, cost-effective, easy to apply complementary approach without side effects which can be administered to women with breast cancer during radiation therapy.