Adjustment and Loss: The Song Writing Process with Children, Adolescents and Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury
Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe the themes that emerge in the songs written by children, adolescents and adults who have received TBI while undergoing active rehabilitation.
Method: A content analysis approach was used to code the themes used in the lyrics of 82 songs written by clients in music therapy. Songs were randomly assigned to one of three coders for analysis. Three songs were coded by all three coders for interrater reliability. Major themes analysed were: concern for future, self reflections, memories, reflections upon significant others, messages, expression of adversity, imagery, and spirituality.
Results: Indicate that clients tended to focus on themes related to their present situation including reflecting upon themselves and sending messages to significant others. Reflecting on the past was also raised. Clients tended to speak of the future to a smaller degree suggesting that they were not ready for confronting these issues so soon after receiving the injury. Gender differences indicate preferences for females to send messages to others within their songs and males tended to focus more on their own self-reflection.