Evaluating the Feasibility of a Clinician-Developed Music Therapy Assessment for Psychological Resilience in Adults With Substance Use Disorder

This study investigated the feasibility of a new music therapy assessment tool, the Music Therapy Assessment for Resilience (MTAR), designed to evaluate psychological resilience in adults during inpatient treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) at a research facility where music therapy was a contracted service. Using a single-group correlational feasibility design evaluating concurrent validity at 2 time points, the MTAR was administered alongside the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) to 16 participants over 2 weeks. Results demonstrated strong positive correlations between the MTAR and CD-RISC at both testing intervals (r = .847, time 1 and r = .832, time 2), indicating preliminary evidence of concurrent validity. Additionally, participants reported high levels of clarity and ease in completing the MTAR (M = 4.81 on a 5-point scale), supporting its acceptability. Findings suggest that the MTAR is feasible and demonstrates early signals toward concurrent validity. This study contributes to ongoing efforts to develop clinician-created music therapy assessments that aim to capture music-based therapeutic change and offers recommendations for feasibility research in assessment development.