The Effects of Music Therapy on Self-Management, Depression, and Stress in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Among type 2 diabetes patients hospitalized for blood sugar control, stress and depression are high and have a negative effect on blood sugar control. Therefore, this study sought to determine whether listening to music helps reduce stress and depression and affects blood sugar control.Methods: This is a randomized, controlled, pre- and post-design study conducted from April 2017 to September 2019 in patients with type 2 diabetes hospitalized for blood glucose control at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong. After diabetes education was provided to both the control and experimental groups, the experimental group listened to music for 30 minutes a day with a tablet PC and the control group was prohibited from listening to music during the study period. Stress was evaluated using the PAID (Problem Areas in Diabetes) scores, depression using the CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression) scale, and self-management using the SDSCA (Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities) questionnaire.Results: A total of 59 patients (41.5 ± 12.6 years, 75.0% male) were enrolled and randomized into the control group (n = 28) and experimental group (n = 31). Music therapy had no statistically significant relationship with blood sugar (<i>P</i> = 0.887), depression (<i>P</i> = 0.248), stress (<i>P</i> = 0.994), or self-management (<i>P</i> = 0.959). However, in both groups, blood glucose control, stress, and self-management were all significantly improved at discharge compared to at the beginning of hospitalization (<i>P</i> = 0.031).Conclusion: It was confirmed that intensive medical treatment and diabetes education for hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes improved not only blood glucose control but also depression, stress, and self-management, regardless of listening to music.