Music Genre Stereotypes to Boost Relaxation in Chronic Pain Patients

Social psychological research has demonstrated that internalized stereotypes affect people's attitudes and behaviors. Music-based interventions that rely on stereotypes might have promise for keeping participants engaged in health interventions, reducing stress, and improving wellbeing.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of California Irvine

Irvine, California, 92868, United States

About this study

Group Assignments

Participants will be randomized into one of four groups.

Group 1 (Reggae): Participants in this group will receive the stereotype and listen to the music over the 4 weeks.
Group 2 (Preferred): Participants in this group will listen to preferred music over the 4 weeks.
Control Group: Participants in this group will serve as a control and will not receive any intervention until the study is completed. They will complete a baseline survey and a follow-up survey at four weeks, as well as similar daily surveys. Some recordings will be sent to this group after the study is completed, without tracking their usage.

Intervention

All groups will complete a baseline and 4-week follow-up survey.

Participants in Group 1 and Group 2 will engage in daily listening 4-week intervention.They will have access to electronic audio recordings, with the order of listening labeled for each day. It is up to them if they want to listen to the daily recordings.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Are 18+
Live in the US
Are an English-proficient adult with a chronic pain diagnosis (no restrictions placed on type)
Have a pain rating of four or greater in average pain on a 0-10 numeric rating scale in the preceding week
Have had pain for at least 3 months and for at least 15 days in the preceding 30 days
Have moderate to severe anxiety based on GAD-7

Exclusion criteria

Are currently using or have used prescription opioids in the past 3 months to minimize a known treatment confound and increase sample homogeneity
Have a current cancer diagnosis

Treatment and study plan

Listening to Reggae Music and told the stereotype

Behavioral

Participants in this group will be told about he stereotype of reggae in making people more calm. They will listen to reggae music over the 4 weeks. Each day, we will send them a playlist to listen to.

Listening to Preferred Music

Behavioral

Participants in this group will NOT be told the stereotype for the audio they are listening to. They will listen to preferred music over the 4 weeks. Each day, we will remind them to listen to preferred music.

Primary outcomes

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) Score

Time frame: 4 weeks

Anxiety levels will be evaluated using the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire. Range 0-21, where higher score is greater anxiety.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, Irvine

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2023
Primary completion: 2025
Study completion: 2025
First posted: Aug 7, 2023
Registry last updated: Apr 23, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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