focused and sustained attention, psychofysiological arousal
Conditions
Interventions
Short-term Music therapy Attention and Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMAART) is 
a music therapy treatment protocol that focuses on improving selective and 
sustained attention and arousal regulation strategies in detainees with 
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). SMAART is grounded on evidence from the 
neurobiology of trauma, neurobiology of music and (neurological) music therapy. 
SMAART is based on six therapeutic principles: (1) give psycho-education to the 
client, (2) teach the client to recognize and regulate stress reactions, (3) 
adjust the tempo of the treatment to the capacities of the client, (4) give 
feedback in the moment about and on the regulating skills of the client, (5) 
achieve repetition upon repetition to appropriate skills, and (6) monitor the 
progress of the client with validated measurements. 
Within the proposed study, we use SMAART-J: a modified version of SMAART that 
focuses on adolescents between 12 and 18 years old, who have experienced 
adverse or traumatic experiences and show deficits in their self-regulatory 
skills.
The SMAART-J intervention is offered individually over a period of eight weekly 
60-minute music therapy sessions. At the start, the participant receives 
psycho-education about trauma and stress responses in the brain. Subsequently, 
various music therapy micro-interventions aimed at regulating arousal and 
training selective and sustained attention are offered. These 
micro-interventions can be offered repeatedly during the intervention period 
Sponsors
Stichting Pluryn
Eligibility
Age
12 Years to 17 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Participant is between 12 - 18 years old at the start of the intervention period.Participant receives treatment at one of the participating institutions for specialized youth care and is expected to continue treatment for at least 3 months after the start of the intervention period. Participant has a score of >/= 20 on the 'Kind en Jeugd Trauma Screener '(KJTS) or has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).Participant speaks and understands Dutch.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Participant has hypersensitivity to sound.Participant is simultaneously participating in another clinical trial.A negative recommendation to participate by an involved clinician (e.g., the involved clinician expects that participation will have a negative effect on the participant).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The SMAART-J intervention aims to reduce trauma-related symptoms as well as improve arousal regulation, and selective-, and sustained attention functions. The primary outcome measures thus focus on changes in self-reported trauma symptoms, selective- and sustained attention, and arousal through the physiological parameters heart rate variability and skin conductance. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Experiences of the client and feasibility of the SMAART-J intervention are secondary outcomes. For this purpose, each participant will fill out a short questionnaire consisting of 5 questions based on a 7-point likert-scale after each session during the intervention period. | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Contacts
Public ContactT.P. Abrahams
Vrije Universiteit
Outcome results
None listed