This study attempted to measure self-perceived changes in states of relaxation, mood/emotion, and thought/insight in psychiatric prisoner-patients before and after music therapy. Three scales were used to measure the changes; scales were derived from a survey of 130 prisoner-patients concerning the perceived therapeutic benefit of participating in music therapy. The study was conducted over a 3-month period with eight different groups of patients (N = 50), with each group participating in three different treatment modalities: music group therapy, instrumental group improvisation, and music and relaxation. Results showed a significant change (p < .05) in self-perceived ratings across all scales before versus after music therapy. The magnitude of change differed significantly (p < .05) between scales. All eight groups showed similar responses, and the different treatment modalities did not significantly influence the results.
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Michael H. Thaut (1989) studied this question.