• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.25-50
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• 2020

This case study explored changes in resilience of North Korean defector adolescents who underwent supportive music psychotherapy that included song discussion and song writing. Participants were three adolescents who escaped from North Korea. Sixty-minute sessions were conducted twice a week over four weeks for a total of seven sessions. The sessions were constructed to enhance hardiness and goal-directedness and used the process of discussing song lyrics, writing original lyrics, and composing music to help the participants strengthen their inner resources and identify healthier and more adaptive strategies for living in South Korea. The resilience scale measured at pre- and post-intervention showed that all participants increased their total scores and subscores related to hardiness and goal-directedness. Also, observation and analysis of their behavior, verbal responses, and lyric writing during the sessions revealed that the participants engaged more in the song-based music therapy process as the sessions went on and also expressed more positive perceptions of their ability to manage challenges and stress. These results indicate that active engagement in decision-making related to creating lyrics and composing music helped the North Korean defector adolescents to perceive themselves as capable of coping with stressful situations and independently solving problems, which are important for enhancing resilience.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.101-117
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• 2020

This study aimed to investigate music and imagery (MI) experiences in group settings using a qualitative case study approach. For this purpose, a focus group interview was conducted with four professional music therapists, who participated in peer MI group sessions without a therapist. Data collected from the interview were analyzed by qualitative data analysis procedures. Results demonstrated that successful group music experiences in the early stages, such as sharing and selecting music together within the group or experiencing group support, leaded to developing trust towards music and the group in participants. Moreover, the trust built upon such basis was shown to facilitate expansions in emotional experiences, imageries, relational aspects, and music resources, which led to new personal insights. In addition, the participants recognized the supportive nature of the group played a role of encouraging participants to challenge new experiences during MI experiences. The results suggest that group as a therapeutic factor can promote expansive emotional experiences and insights. Furthermore, the findings may provide implications for music psychotherapy applications in group settings.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.43-64
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• 2015

This study investigated the effects of song discussion on depression and rehabilitation motivation in stroke patients. Older adults with chronic stroke participated in this study: nine for the experimental group and eight for the control group. The experimental group was divided into three subgroups and participated in 12 sessions over 6 weeks. Target lyrics were selected by the investigator among popular songs from the participants' young adulthood. The song-based discussion was facilitated to address issues targeted at supportive, insight-focused, or reconstructive stage. The control group was provided with delayed intervention. At pre and posttest, the short form of Geriatric Depression Scale and the Rehabilitation Motivation Scale were measured. The experimental group showed significantly decreased depression and significantly increased rehabilitation motivation (p < .01), while the control group showed no significant changes. Positive changes were also observed in all subcategories of rehabilitation motivation in the experimental group, particularly in significantly increased task-oriented motivation and decreased amotivation. This study suggests that song discussion will be effectively applied in rehabilitative settings to address psychological issues of older adults with stroke.