The effect of a single-session music therapy group intervention for grief resolution on the disenfranchised grief of hospice workers

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a single-session music therapy group intervention on feelings of disenfranchised grief as experienced by hospice workers. A secondary purpose was to determine if a group of this type could have a significant positive effect on hospice workers' risk for compassion fatigue and their perception of their work environment one month after participation in the group. Participants in this study ( N = 68) were hospice employees who experienced direct patient contact as part of their job. This study used a pretest-posttest randomized control group design with a second posttest administered 30 days after initial data collection. Participants who attended an assigned experimental group ( n = 34) completed pretest and posttest measures while participants who attended an assigned control group (n = 34) completed the posttest only. Participants who attended a randomly assigned experimental group participated in an hour-long music therapy group intervention designed for the grief resolution of hospice workers. The music therapy group intervention consisted of three sequential parts: active music making, a songwriting activity and discussion, and participation in a grief ritual. Results of the analysis for the primary dependent variable of grief resolution showed no significant difference between the experimental and control groups overall or for the three subscales of personal sacrifice burden, sadness and longing, and worry and felt isolation. There were also no significant differences between pretest and posttest for the experimental group for the overall measure of grief resolution, nor for the subscales of sadness and longing. However, there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest for the experimental group for the subscale of personal sacrifice burden, with feelings of burden lower after participation in the music therapy group. Results of the analysis for the secondary dependent variables of risk for burnout and compassion fatigue and perception of work environment showed no significant differences between experimental and control groups 30 days after the initial data collection. Additionally, the risk for burnout and compassion fatigue for this sample was found to be low overall. Results of a thematic analysis of participant-written songs for the experimental group revealed eleven recurring themes that pertained to both negative and positive aspects of hospice work. Results of the thematic analysis of participant-written messages to patients following three message prompts during the grief ritual component of the music therapy group revealed thirteen recurring themes overall. Participant-written messages to patients were 100% positive and conveyed a sense of gratitude that participants felt for being able to engage in meaningful work. A brief post-session questionnaire indicated that 97% of participants in the experimental group felt that the music therapy session had been helpful in resolving their grief feelings regarding patients' deaths and that 100% of participants in the experimental group would like to see a similar group continue to be offered at this hospice. Results of this study suggest that music therapy can be an effective intervention for reducing personal sacrifice burden felt by hospice workers. Implications for clinical practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.