Page 339 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

306 n MUSIC THERAPy

Finally, maternal cognitions affect how parent training programs (e.g., Centers for
mothers interpret and respond to their chil- Disease Control and Prevention, 2009b; Gross
M dren’s behavior. For example, a mother’s et al., 2009), designed to teach parents skills
belief that using corporal punishment with that promote positive parenting and reduce
her defiant 2-year-old may be based on a behavioral risk in young children.
series of cognitions related to her values
about child defiance and physical punish- Deborah Gross
ment, cultural expectations, perceived envi- Shelly Eisbach
ronmental dangers, how she was raised, and
her knowledge of alternative discipline strat-
egies (Garvey, Gross, Delaney, & Fogg, 2000;
Goodnow & Collins, 1990; Stack, Serbin, Music theraPy
Enns, Ruttle, & Barrieau, 2010). Socialization
behaviors such as the mother’s ability to reg-
ulate her own emotional reactions will affect Music therapy is the use of music for the pur-
the child’s ability to self regulate. In essence, pose of improving physiological and psy-
mothers are the social role model for their chological health and well-being. For music
child and can positively or negatively influ- to be therapeutic, there must be an interac-
ence the child’s behavior through day to day tion between the music and the person who
experiences. Research has shown that this desires a health outcome from the music
behavior transcends generations with grand- (Meyer, 1956). This implies that there are
mothers influencing the parenting behaviors individual, age, culture, and situation-related
of mothers who in turn affect their child’s differences in choice and effect. The saying
emotional reactivity and future parenting that music is a universal language gives the
behavior (Stack et al., 2010). false impression that everyone appreciates
Although many investigators have and is helped by the same music. Although
understandably narrowed their research to all cultures of the world use music in some
one or two conceptual areas of inquiry, the form and derive meaning from it, different
dyad is dynamically affected by all of these cultures and different generations are accus-
influences. That is, mothers identify parent- tomed to listening to widely divergent kinds
ing goals and devise child-rearing strategies of music. There may be large differences in
that are consistent with their temperaments, volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, harmony, dis-
biology, child-rearing environments, cogni- harmony, words, and meaning (Cross, 2003).
tions, and psychological capacities (Gross, In addition, there is variation within age and
1996). Likewise, children’s responses to par- cultural groups (Good, Picot, Salem, Picot, &
ents are similarly tied to these same factors. Lane, 2000).
Future research should refine how these Music therapy may be provided by a reg-
influences transact within the parent–child istered music therapist who has been taught
relationship so that research methods can be to use music in many therapeutic ways.
clarified and cost-effective nursing interven- However, any member of the health care team
tions disseminated to populations in need. may suggest to patients that soft music can
To date, a number of intervention strat- be helpful for stress, pain, and mood and can
egies for improving mother–infant/toddler use stimulating music to encourage sociali-
relationships have been validated. Among zation, expression, and exercise. Nurses can
the most well researched are home visiting assess musical preferences, offer a choice of
programs (e.g., Olds et al., 2007), in which selections, and encourage patient involve-
parents receive a range of services designed ment in the music with the goal of achieving
to improve maternal and infant health and specific health outcomes.