The purposes of this study were 1) to delineate any differences in general musical taste (trait) and context-specific music preference (state), as well as preferred music characteristics in cancer patients, 2) to investigate the contributions of individual variabilities, personality, behavioral coping styles, and pain levels in predicting changes from trait to state preferences and preferred music characteristics under various pain conditions.

Cancer patients were recruited to fill in questionnaires pertaining to their demographic information (age, gender, religious preference, ethnicity, music background and experience), personality traits, music preferences, preferences for music characteristics, coping styles, and pain experiences.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Stage IV cancer diagnosis
2. Between 40 - 70 years old
3. Normal or corrected hearing
4. Able to communicate (speak, comprehend, read, write) in English
5. Signed informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Under 40 or over 70 years old
2. Not able to communicate in English
3. Uncorrected hearing loss/impairment
4. Dementia, psychosis (hallucinations, delusions) that interferes with cognitive processing (verbal and music)

Cancer patients