Studying music and technology to reduce stress, alcohol relapse

PULLMAN — People with alcohol use disorder, commonly known as alcoholism, have a high rate of relapse. Stressful situations are often the cause.

Washington State University researchers are studying a new intervention that uses wearable technology to sense a person’s increased stress levels and play a personalized music playlist to help derail that stress.

Prior work by scientists on this project showed that wearable wristbands that monitor physiological responses can accurately predict stressful situations. Thanks to a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Sound Health initiative, scientists at WSU, Arizona State University, and the University of Southern California plan to confirm those findings at a much larger scale, then start developing the new playlist-style intervention.

“We want to take the next step and use those physiological signals to intervene and hopefully keep someone from seeking out alcohol to cope with stress,” said Michael Cleveland, professor in WSU’s Department of Human Development and a primary investigator on the project.

Researchers will partner with substance use treatment providers in eastern Washington, working with volunteers with AUD to learn if the intervention actually works. For 14 days, volunteers will wear a wristband that measures their heart rate, sweat production, and other stress markers. Each time they feel stress, the volunteers will push a button to note the time and date. Cleveland’s team will then match wristband data with button pushes to confirm accuracy.

In the project’s second phase, the team will work with volunteers to develop playlists on a streaming service that would play through participant’s phones. It’s not a prescribed music list, as everyone reacts differently to different music, Cleveland said.

Programmed with personalized playlists on the phones, the wristbands will trigger music to start when they detect rising stress levels, hopefully helping head off a potential relapse.

Researchers will use metadata from the streaming service to see what songs are most effective at reducing the stress responses via the wristbands.

“Music has been shown to have a helpful effect on reducing stress,” Cleveland said. “Research shows that stress relief is increased when people choose the music themselves. You might think that instrumental or classical music works best, but people generally know what will work for them.”

During an initial orientation session, study participants will be trained by a music therapist in how to use music to manage their emotions. The goal is to match music to a person’s current mood and gradually change the music to reach their desired mood state.

Cleveland emphasizes that this music project isn’t a replacement for therapy or other more hands-on treatment, but a complementary approach.

“We need to see if we can show positive benefits from this intervention, then work with clinicians to see if it can be a tool to help a person with AUD,” he said.

A health intervention using phones that most people already carry appeals to the team because it can have a wide reach without a high cost, Cleveland said.

The project is currently a feasibility study: Researchers want to learn whether people find music helpful for managing stress, or if it interferes with daily life. The first phase of the program is funded by NIH for two years at $1 million. If it shows positive results, phase two will unlock another three years and $1.6 million in funding.

“I’m a musician and love music, so being able to tie that to my research is very exciting,” Cleveland said. “We want to understand how this process works and help people facing life’s stresses with the additional struggle of AUD.”