ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1613220
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in the assessment and treatment of TBI and co-occurring conditions in military connected populationsView all 10 articles
Military Veterans' Perspectives on Using Music to Manage Chronic Pain: Themes from The Feasibility and Acceptability of Music Imagery and Listening Interventions for Analgesia (FAMILIA) Study
Provisionally accepted
Kristin Maya Story1,2*
Sally Wasmuth3Johnna M Belkiewitz3Claire Whalen2
Sheri L. Robb2,4Dawn M Bravata1,2,5
Matthew Bair1,2,5- 1Veterans Affairs Center for Health Information and Communication, Indianapolis, United States
- 2Indiana university School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
- 3Indiana University School of Health & Human Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy, Indianapolis, United States
- 4Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, United States
- 5Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, United States
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Introduction: Chronic pain conditions are common in military veterans, often leading to disability, psychological distress and high healthcare utilization. An interdisciplinary approach, informed by a biopsychosocial model, is recommended for patients with chronic pain. Musicbased interventions have shown improvements in patients with pain, but results are inconsistent and most studies have concentrated on acute pain and in-person delivery.Objective: The Feasibility and Acceptability of Music and Imagery for Analgesia (FAMILIA) explored the use of two telehealth delivered music interventions for chronic pain. As part of FAMILIA we conducted interviews to assess the veteran experience and acceptability of the music interventions.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with veterans who participated in either self-directed, independent music listening or a therapist-delivered music and imagery intervention in a three-arm randomized controlled trial. All interventions were conducted by board certified music therapists over a HIPAA approved telehealth platform. Interviews were conducted by team members who did not deliver the intervention and included questions about the intervention(s), delivery format, barriers and facilitators to study participation.Results: Sixteen interviews were recorded, transcribed, and deidentified for analysis. The research team identified ten themes, drawn from the veterans' experiences from pre to post intervention about the acceptability, motivation for joining, challenges, and perceived benefits of the telehealth-delivered music interventions.Conclusions: Veteran patients found FAMILIA acceptable and endorsed using music listening or music and imagery as a non-pharmacological support for management of chronic pain and accompanying psychological symptoms.
Keywords: Chronic Pain, Music Therapy, imagery, Veterans, interviews, Acceptability, pilot trial Trial Registration: Feasibility and Acceptability of Music Therapy for Chronic Pain; NCT05426941
Received: 16 Apr 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Story, Wasmuth, Belkiewitz, Whalen, Robb, Bravata and Bair. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kristin Maya Story, Veterans Affairs Center for Health Information and Communication, Indianapolis, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.