Description:
<jats:p><p>A psychiatric population (n=123) was examined on changed music preferences after onset of a mental disorder. Most patients did not change their previous music preference; they considered music helpful for their mental state, showed more attractivity and enforcement as personality traits and used music more for emotion modulation. Patients who have undergone a preference shift reported that music has impaired them during the time of illness; these patients showed less ego-strength, less conficence and less enforcement and used music less for arousal modulation. A third subgroup stopped listening to music completely after the onset of the mental disorder; these patients attached less importance to music and also reported that music has impaired their mental state. They showed more ego-strength and used music less for emotion modulation. The results suggest that the use of music in everyday life can be helpful as an emotion modulation strategy. However, some patients might need instructions how to use music in a functional, and not dysfunctional, way. Psychiatrists and psychotherapists as well as music therapists should be aware of emotion modulation strategies, subjective valence of music and personality traits of their patients.<strong></strong></p></jats:p>