Music TherapyNCT06445010
Musical Playlist of the Grief Journey
A study testing Creating Musical Playlist in people with Music Therapy and Bereavement, run by Brown University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effectiveness of a music-based intervention as a bereavement strategy for individuals who are a part of the Loss of Spouse/Life Partner Grief Support Group at HopeHealth, a healthcare organization in Providence, Rhode Island that specializes in home care, hospice… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Music Therapy, Bereavement
- What is being tested?
- Creating Musical Playlist
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 11 Jun 2024to 20 Oct 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Participant in HopeHealth's Spouse/Life Partner Grief Support group
- Sufficient hearing capacity to hear music
- Access to a computer, laptop, phone, iPad, or any other technological device that's able to support YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, or another preferred streaming service
- Ability to complete pre- and post-assessments in English.
Who cannot join
- Participants who have participated in any music-based intervention for bereavement
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Playlist of the Grief Journey: Humanizing Bereavement Through Music
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effectiveness of a music-based intervention as a bereavement strategy for individuals who are a part of the Loss of Spouse/Life Partner Grief Support Group at HopeHealth, a healthcare organization in Providence, Rhode Island that specializes in home care, hospice care, palliative care, and grief support. The main question it ams to answer is:
- Will the experience of creating a musical playlist help individuals in bereavement process their grief more effectively?
Read more
Participants will undergo the following main tasks:
- A baseline pre-assessment survey that asks about the role of music in the participant's and their partner's life, as well as how music has helped participants with their grief.
- A 75-minute Zoom session with the study investigator which includes a conversation about the participant's loved one and grief journey. This Zoom session serves to find themes and emotions in the participant's grief journey which will be as foundations for musical playlists.
- Participants will create their own musical playlist based on guidance from the study investigator.
- A post-assessment survey that asks participants to reflect on the experience of creating a playlist. This survey also examines if music plays a new role in the participant's life.
Read the detailed description
The death of a loved one is a universal experience and one of life's greatest stressors. Although most bereaved individuals navigate through intense acute grief that lessens with time, approximately 10% develop prolonged grief disorder (PGD), characterized by persistent mental distress, maladaptive thoughts, avoidance behaviors, and impaired functionality. The COVID-19 pandemic has potentially increased PGD cases, and individuals on the grief spectrum face risks for various medical and psychological issues. Given that PGD was only recently recognized in the DSM-5 in 2022 and effective bereavement strategies are lacking, research in this area is crucial. Music-based interventions have shown promise in enhancing recovery in diverse settings, including cancer treatment and dementia care, by reducing anxiety and distress and engaging cognitive and social functions. However, studies on music's role in bereavement are limited. Recent research on expressive arts therapies suggests that music could be a valuable tool in supporting grieving individuals, highlighting the need to explore its potential in facilitating the grief journey.
The goals of this project are three-fold:
- Creating personalized music playlists with survivors after conversing with them about their grief journey to not only humanistically explore and reflect on their experience but also to create a long-lasting tool they can keep and be effectively utilized to help process their grief.
- This playlist will also be shared amongst participating individuals so that their story can be shared in this novel and creative way. Participants can also learn about other's stories and reflections through this shared medium.
- Integrating this project into the Warren Alpert Medical School curriculum as part of the new Medical Humanities Initiative, and having first through third year medical students pairing up with grieving individuals, having a conversation with them, and co-creating a personalized music playlist.
- Conditions
- Music Therapy, Bereavement
- Being tested
- Creating Musical Playlist
- Keywords
- Grief Support, Creative Arts
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Creating Musical PlaylistOther
Personal music playlist for therapeutic listening and sharing with other individuals in bereavement
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Creating Musical Playlist | Experimental | Participants created a musical playlist over 1 week based on themes and emotions from their grief journey. Receives: Other: Creating Musical Playlist |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change from Baseline in Music's Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being
A vetted question with study directors serves to measure if using music as a medium to express participants' grief has any impact on mental health and well-being before and after the music playlist creation experience.
The minimum value is "Music impacts my mental health and well-being in a negative way" and the maximum value is "Music impacts my mental health and well-being in a positive way." The maximum value means a better outcome.
Measured: Baseline and Week 1
Change from Baseline in the Importance of Music in Participant's Life
Vetted questions with study directors serve to measure the importance of music in participants' life before and after the music playlist creation experience. These questions also examine the likelihood of participants to continue listening to their playlists after the project conclusion as a therapeutic resource.
The minimum value is "very unimportant" and the maximum value is "very important." The maximum value means a better outcome.
Measured: Baseline and Week 1
Qualitative Learning Moments After Music Playlist Creation
Vetted questions with study directors ask participants to reflect on their overall experience on creating and listening to their musical playlist. The questions ask participants to elaborate on how the exercise has helped them process/navigate/provide a new perspective to their grief experience. The study investigator also asks participants to reflect on any pieces of music that particularly connected with them and why.
Because these questions are qualitative in nature there are no minimum or maximum values.
Measured: Baseline and Week 1
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Jun 2024
- Study start11 Jun 2024
- Primary completion31 Aug 2024
- Study completion20 Oct 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Music TherapyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Brown University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Miriam Hospital
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Diana A Wang, BA, Principal investigator, Brown UniversityDeanna Church, Study director, HopeHealthSarah DeCosta, LMHC, Study director, HopeHealthFred J Schiffman, MD, Study director, Brown University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06445010
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00000463
- Status last verified
- Oct 2025
- First submitted
- 31 May 2024
- Last updated
- 5 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: There is no plan to make IPD available to other researchers. All collected data will be kept internal to the investigator on the project.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Playlist of the Grief Journey: Humanizing Bereavement Through Music
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06445010
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00000463
- Conditions
- Music Therapy, Bereavement
- Keywords
- Grief Support, Creative Arts
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Brown UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Miriam Hospital
- Study start
- 11 Jun 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 20 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 6 Jun 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effectiveness of a music-based intervention as a bereavement strategy for individuals who are a part of the Loss of Spouse/Life Partner Grief Support Group at HopeHealth, a healthcare organization in Providence, Rhode Island that specializes in home care, hospice care, palliative care, and grief support. The main question it ams to answer is:
- Will the experience of creating a musical playlist help individuals in bereavement process their grief more effectively?
Participants will undergo the following main tasks:
- A baseline pre-assessment survey that asks about the role of music in the participant's and their partner's life, as well as how music has helped participants with their grief.
- A 75-minute Zoom session with the study investigator which includes a conversation about the participant's loved one and grief journey. This Zoom session serves to find themes and emotions in the participant's grief journey which will be as foundations for musical playlists.
- Participants will create their own musical playlist based on guidance from the study investigator.
- A post-assessment survey that asks participants to reflect on the experience of creating a playlist. This survey also examines if music plays a new role in the participant's life.
Detailed description
The death of a loved one is a universal experience and one of life's greatest stressors. Although most bereaved individuals navigate through intense acute grief that lessens with time, approximately 10% develop prolonged grief disorder (PGD), characterized by persistent mental distress, maladaptive thoughts, avoidance behaviors, and impaired functionality. The COVID-19 pandemic has potentially increased PGD cases, and individuals on the grief spectrum face risks for various medical and psychological issues. Given that PGD was only recently recognized in the DSM-5 in 2022 and effective bereavement strategies are lacking, research in this area is crucial. Music-based interventions have shown promise in enhancing recovery in diverse settings, including cancer treatment and dementia care, by reducing anxiety and distress and engaging cognitive and social functions. However, studies on music's role in bereavement are limited. Recent research on expressive arts therapies suggests that music could be a valuable tool in supporting grieving individuals, highlighting the need to explore its potential in facilitating the grief journey.
The goals of this project are three-fold:
- Creating personalized music playlists with survivors after conversing with them about their grief journey to not only humanistically explore and reflect on their experience but also to create a long-lasting tool they can keep and be effectively utilized to help process their grief.
- This playlist will also be shared amongst participating individuals so that their story can be shared in this novel and creative way. Participants can also learn about other's stories and reflections through this shared medium.
- Integrating this project into the Warren Alpert Medical School curriculum as part of the new Medical Humanities Initiative, and having first through third year medical students pairing up with grieving individuals, having a conversation with them, and co-creating a personalized music playlist.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Creating Musical Playlist | Experimental | Other: Creating Musical PlaylistParticipants created a musical playlist over 1 week based on themes and emotions from their grief journey. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Participant in HopeHealth's Spouse/Life Partner Grief Support group
- Sufficient hearing capacity to hear music
- Access to a computer, laptop, phone, iPad, or any other technological device that's able to support YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, or another preferred streaming service
- Ability to complete pre- and post-assessments in English.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Participants who have participated in any music-based intervention for bereavement
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Creating Musical PlaylistPersonal music playlist for therapeutic listening and sharing with other individuals in bereavement | Other | Creating Musical Playlist |
Primary outcome
Change from Baseline in Music's Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being
Time frame: Baseline and Week 1
A vetted question with study directors serves to measure if using music as a medium to express participants' grief has any impact on mental health and well-being before and after the music playlist creation experience. The minimum value is "Music impacts my mental health and well-being in a negative way" and the maximum value is "Music impacts my mental health and well-being in a positive way." The maximum value means a better outcome.
Change from Baseline in the Importance of Music in Participant's Life
Time frame: Baseline and Week 1
Vetted questions with study directors serve to measure the importance of music in participants' life before and after the music playlist creation experience. These questions also examine the likelihood of participants to continue listening to their playlists after the project conclusion as a therapeutic resource. The minimum value is "very unimportant" and the maximum value is "very important." The maximum value means a better outcome.
Qualitative Learning Moments After Music Playlist Creation
Time frame: Baseline and Week 1
Vetted questions with study directors ask participants to reflect on their overall experience on creating and listening to their musical playlist. The questions ask participants to elaborate on how the exercise has helped them process/navigate/provide a new perspective to their grief experience. The study investigator also asks participants to reflect on any pieces of music that particularly connected with them and why. Because these questions are qualitative in nature there are no minimum or maximum values.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. There is no plan to make IPD available to other researchers. All collected data will be kept internal to the investigator on the project.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Diana A Wang, BA principal investigator
Brown University
Deanna Church study director
HopeHealth
Sarah DeCosta, LMHC study director
HopeHealth
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Creating Musical Playlist in people with Music Therapy and Bereavement, run by Brown University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change from Baseline in Music's Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being (time frame: Baseline and Week 1). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Oct 2026.