Effectiveness of Musical Training in Hong Kong Chinese Childhood Brain Tumor Survivors

Effectiveness of Musical Training in Reducing Depressive Symptoms, Enhancing Self-esteem and Quality of Life Among Hong Kong Chinese Childhood Brain Tumor Survivors - A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to work out the effectiveness (effect size) of the musical training intervention in reducing depressive symptoms, improving self-esteem and quality of life among childhood brain tumour survivors and to examine the feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability of implementing musical training intervention in clinical practice. Subjects in the experimental group will receive weekly 45-minute lessons on musical training for one year (52 weeks), while those in the control group will receive usual care.

Musical training has been increasingly implemented to promote one's psychological well-being and cognitive functioning. For instance, to reduce depression, anxiety in psychiatric patients, to improve self-esteem and mood recognition in hospitalized adolescent patients diagnosed with "adjustment reaction to adolescence", to improve social skills of children with autism, to enhance reading skills and academic achievement in young poor readers, and to facilitate children's cognitive development. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of musical training in promoting psychological well-being, particularly to reduce their depressive symptoms and enhance self-esteem, and enhancing quality of life among the childhood brain tumour survivors is remain underexplored. It is of paramount importance to examine the effectiveness of musical training so as to ameliorate adverse disease- and treatment-related late effects, such as depression and low self-esteem, hence enhancing childhood brain tumour survivors' quality of life.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Hong Kong Chinese children surviving from brain tumours with the Modified Mini-Mental Scale (MMSE) score of 18 or above
• be aged between 7 and 16 years
• able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese
• have completed treatment for at least two months
• have residual function of the upper extremities (i.e. be able to move the extremities, such as the fingers and arms, without assistance)

Exclusion Criteria:

• children who have undertaken any musical training following their cancer diagnosis
• survivors with evidence of recurrence or second malignancies
• survivors receiving palliative care