The Use of Music Therapy Informed by Motivational Interviewing With College Student Drinkers to Invite “Change Talk”

The effect of a single music therapy session informed by motivational interviewing on an individual’s readiness to change risky drinking behavior was investigated in 16 undergraduate college students, ages 18-24. Participants completed the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) prior to and following the one week following the single session. The SOCRATES assesses whether a person recognizes problems related to drinking, how ambivalent the person is to the idea of the change in behavior, and whether or not the person is taking any steps to change risky drinking behavior. Analyzing the scores of the 16 participants whose AUDIT scores were greater than 8, a Mann-Whitney U test on pre-post change scores by condition and examination of group means revealed that participants in the music therapy group were significantly more likely to report increased recognition of the need to change risky drinking behavior following the session than those in the control condition (U = 15.50, p = .08). Further exploration of the use of music therapy informed by motivational interviewing, music therapy as a brief intervention, and music therapy with young adults may be warranted.