Individual music therapy for depression: randomised controlled trial

Music Therapy and Pharmacotherapy as a Combination Treatment: A Case of Periodic Depression in Comorbidity With Subthreshold Autism

Subthreshold Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can complicate depression treatment as ASD may hinder treatment benefits. In this case, a patient in treatment for recurring depression with traits of ASD showed symptom reduction, improved relational functioning, and emotion regulation skills by combining pharmacotherapy and music therapy.

Effects of group music therapy on depressive symptoms in women - The MUSED-study: Results from a randomized-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Music can directly influence emotions, the regulation of which are known to be impaired in major depressive disorder (MDD). While music therapy (MT) could be an effective complement to treat MDD, studies investigating such effects have not yet yielded conclusive results. We hypothesized that group music therapy (GMT) might lead to a significant reduction of depressive symptoms (DS).

METHODS

In a randomized controlled trial, 102 women with current MDD were randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving GMT or a waitlist control group. Data assessment was conducted pre- (T0), post- (T1), and at a 10-week follow-up to (T2) the intervention. DS as the primary outcome were assessed via observer-rated (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, T0-T1), self-rated (Beck Depression Inventory, T0-T1-T2), and ecological momentary (T0-T1) assessments. Secondary effects on emotion and mood regulation strategies, and quality of life (QoL), were measured T0-T1-T2.

RESULTS

The results suggest non-significant effects of the GMT on a descriptive level on self-reported and observer rated DS and statistically significant effects on DS in everyday life, QoL, and regulation strategies, with larger effects from T0-T1 than from T0-T1-T2.

LIMITATIONS

The generalizability is limited by the high dropout rate and data loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that long-term effects of GMT are not assured, and the homogeneous gender (female) of the sample.

CONCLUSIONS

GMT is an economical approach to treat MDD, yielding health-promoting effects regarding DS, emotion regulation, and QoL. Manualization and further evaluation of MT is strongly recommended.

The effect of music on patient anxiety undergoing bronchoscopy: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Bronchoscopy is a fundamental diagnostic and therapeutic examination with rare complications which is often associated to anxiety and discomfort. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of music on anxiety levels among patients undergoing bronchoscopy in the pneumology department.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective, randomized, investigator-blinded, controlled trial performed in two university hospitals. The patients were randomized into two groups: experimental group who had preselected classic Tunisian music during bronchoscopy and control group who had bronchoscopy without music. we assessed anxiety level using Spilberger's State Anxiety inventory (S-STAI) and comfort level using visual analogic scale (VAS). Vital signs and side effects during bronchoscopy were also assessed.

RESULTS

One hundred thirty-six patients were equally assigned into the two groups. the anxiety levels before and after bronchoscopy were similar into the two groups. The music had no effect on anxiety level using the S-STAI . There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding side effects and vital signs during bronchoscopy. There was a significant effect of music on mean change of VAS score (p = 0.018).

CONCLUSION

The music improved comfort level of patients undergoing bronchoscopy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was retrospectively registered in the pan African Clinical Trial Registry with the trial number PACTR202309620440045 on 3 September 2023.

The major-minor mode dichotomy in music perception

In Western tonal music, major and minor modes are recognized as the primary musical features in eliciting emotional responses. The underlying correlates of this dichotomy in music perception have been extensively investigated through decades of psychological and neuroscientific research, yielding plentiful yet often discordant results that highlight the complexity and individual differences in how these modes are perceived. This variability suggests that a deeper understanding of major-minor mode perception in music is still needed. We present the first comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis, providing both qualitative and quantitative syntheses of major-minor mode perception and its behavioural and neural correlates. The qualitative synthesis includes 70 studies, revealing significant diversity in how the major-minor dichotomy has been empirically investigated. Most studies focused on adults, considered participants' expertise, used real-life musical stimuli, conducted behavioural evaluations, and were predominantly performed with Western listeners. Meta-analyses of behavioural, electroencephalography, and neuroimaging data (37 studies) consistently show that major and minor modes elicit distinct neural and emotional responses, though these differences are heavily influenced by subjective perception. Based on our findings, we propose a framework to describe a Major-Minor Mode(l) of music perception and its correlates, incorporating individual factors such as age, expertise, cultural background, and emotional disorders. Moreover, this work explores the cultural and historical implications of the major-minor dichotomy in music, examining its origins, universality, and emotional associations across both Western and non-Western contexts. By considering individual differences and acoustic characteristics, we contribute to a broader understanding of how musical frameworks develop across cultures. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed, including potential clinical applications for mood regulation and emotional disorders, alongside recommendations for experimental paradigms in investigating major-minor modes.

Effects of group music sessions on cognitive and psychological functions in healthy older adults

Introduction

With the rapid aging of the population worldwide and the prevalence of dementia and mental health problems among older adults, it is important to extend healthy life expectancy by maintaining brain and mental health. Playing musical instruments, which requires the integration of auditory, visual, and somatosensory functions, is considered an effective way to prevent the development of dementia. However, the effectiveness of group (band) music sessions in healthy older adults has not been investigated. Our purpose, therefore, was to investigate the effects of group music sessions on cognitive and psychological functions among healthy older adults.

Methods

In this open-label randomized controlled trial, participants aged 65-74, who had no musical experience, were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention group received in weekly 90-minute sessions with the instrument for 16 weeks. The control group received no intervention.

Results

The results showed that the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) total score and the Wechsler Memory Scale Logical Memory Ⅱ (WMS-LM Ⅱ) score improved significantly, and the Vigor-Activity subscale score of the Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition (POMS 2) tended to improve.

Discussion

These findings indicated that group music sessions have a potentially beneficial effect for maintaining and improving cognitive and psychological functions in healthy older adults.

The Role of Music in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Comparative Analysis of Neuroscientific Research, Indigenous Entheogenic Ritual, and Contemporary Care Models

Music is deeply rooted in the human experience as well as a fundamental part of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT) and entheogenic ceremonies. Although a large body of research exists highlighting the importance of music from rehabilitative, psychological, neurobiological, anthropological, religious, and sociological contexts, there is limited scientific literature regarding the specific relevance of music in PAT and indigenous entheogenic ritual as a means of enhancing clinical outcomes. As demand for mental health services continues to grow and awareness of the medicinal benefits of psychedelic substances to treat mental and neurological conditions increases, a new wave of interest has emerged to support the development of care models, including how music is used during PAT. Music is a reliable cornerstone in therapeutic and ritualistic spaces using psychedelics, however there is still an immense opportunity to cultivate PAT models with interdisciplinary, evidence-informed perspectives and thoughtful analysis of music use in treatment. To contribute to this development, this review evaluates neuroscientific, psychological, and anthropological research on the neural and cognitive underpinnings of music as well as music use with psychedelics both in modern research settings and indigenous entheogenic ceremonies. In addition, personalized approaches to music protocols in PAT, how music use in traditional rituals may help inform best practices, and the need for researchers to specify music protocols in treatment models are detailed. Consideration of carefully respecting the bridging of indigenous practices and current medical models is discussed to highlight areas for future development.

Re-engaging with arts and cultural activities at the Life Rooms: 'It's given me spring'

BACKGROUND

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust's Life Rooms initiative is an established and successful model of integrating arts and culture within NHS provision. In the face of COVID-19, the Life Rooms was restructured to provide a full suite of online resources. Following the lifting of restrictions, in-person arts provision returned to the Life Rooms sites. Additional evidence in respect of the impact on mental health and wellbeing of the return to in-person arts and cultural activities provided by the Life Rooms, as well as the relative merits of online and in-person arts and cultural activities, is needed to inform future planning around in-person, online, and/or hybrid provision.

METHODS

Interviews with practitioners delivering cultural and creative courses at the Life Rooms (n = 8) and users of the Life Rooms (n = 5) were conducted to explore the impact of the return to in-person arts provision at the Life Rooms, as well as the merits of online and in-person arts provision. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three overarching themes were identified: 'Provision, access, and reach'; 'Value of arts and creativity'; and 'Challenges with the Life Rooms model in the new normal'. The findings demonstrate the critical role of arts and cultural provision in providing stigma-free environments to reconnect the vulnerable and isolated. As re-engagement remained slow, there is a need to be responsive to hesitation around re-engaging in-person. The Life Rooms online learning offer remained vital for those who are vulnerable or otherwise unable to access in-person activities.

CONCLUSIONS

As our findings show a demand for maintaining online provision that enables accessibility together with in-person provision that boosts community connectedness, ensuring continued online access alongside in-person delivery should be prioritised. As mental health demands could continue to grow in coming years as the pandemic evolves, in-person arts engagement could have an important role in meeting mental health needs.

Symphonic resonance: optimizing hypnotic suggestions with music to harmonize depression and rumination

Depression is a complex, multi-dimensional disorder that is recognized as a leading cause of human suffering and disability. A wide variety of treatments, both physical and psychological, have been developed to lessen the burden on depressed individuals and those they may affect. Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective vehicle for delivering psychological treatments for alleviating depression in a number of studies, but it is always a challenge to increase the effectiveness of suggestions given in hypnosis. The addition of music to enhance hypnotic approaches has been studied and received substantial support for its potential effectiveness. This article explores the merits of incorporating music into the delivery of hypnosis sessions and offers specific recommendations for the use of rhythmic methods as a means of deepening hypnosis and increasing the impact of one's suggestions for reducing depressive ruminations. Five case examples are provided to illustrate the successful use of this integrative approach to treatment.

Motivation and music interventions in adults: A systematic review

ABSTRACTMusic is increasingly used in a wide array of settings, from clinical recovery to sports or well-being interventions. Motivation related to music is often considered as a possible working mechanism for music to facilitate these processes, however this has not previously been systematically evaluated. The current systematic review considered studies that involved music (therapy) interventions, together with motivation-related measures such as wanting to practise, liking the musical activities, or patient adherence to an intervention. Our objective was to examine whether music is related to increased motivation in task performance and/or rehabilitation settings, and whether this is in turn related to better clinical or training outcomes. Seventy-nine studies met the inclusion criteria, the majority of which (85%) indicated an increased level of motivation with music as compared to without. Moreover, in those studies where motivation was increased, clinical or other outcomes were improved in most cases (90%). These results support the notion of motivation as an underlying mechanism of music-based interventions, but more robust evidence is needed to ascertain which mechanisms are crucial in increasing motivation from a behavioural, cognitive, and neurobiological point of view, as well as how motivational mechanisms relate to other factors of effectiveness in music-based paradigms.

Effect of Music on Anxiety and Pain Levels of Patients Undergoing Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy: A Randomized Controlled Study

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Despite being a minimally invasive procedure, biopsy can cause pain and anxiety in patients. Therefore, it is important to reduce the pain and anxiety levels of patients. The present study aims to investigate the effect of music on patient anxiety and pain levels during thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this randomized controlled single-blind study, a validated State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) consisting of 40 questions in total was used to evaluate patient anxiety rates. The STAI consists of two sections: the state anxiety scale (SAS) measuring instant anxiety and the trait anxiety scale measuring general anxiety. Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 those who did not listen to music during a biopsy and group 2 those who listened to music. The Visual Analogue Scale was used to evaluate patient pain levels.

RESULTS

Group 1 consisted of 46 patients and Group 2 consisted of 45 patients. After the procedure, the mean SAS scores of Groups 1 and 2 were not significantly different (p = 0.24). However, The state anxiety scale differences, which represents the decrease in pre-procedure and post-procedure anxiety levels (SAS1-SAS2) was statistically different among the groups (p = 0.01). There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of VAS score distribution (p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Music therapy is an easily applicable, cheap, and safe method that can be used to decrease anxiety and pain levels in patients during thyroid biopsy as evidenced by this research.

Treatments and regulatory mechanisms of acoustic stimuli on mood disorders and neurological diseases

Acoustic stimuli such as music or ambient noise can significantly affect physiological and psychological health in humans. We here summarize positive effects of music therapy in premature infant distress regulation, performance enhancement, sleep quality control, and treatment of mental disorders. Specifically, music therapy exhibits promising effects on treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). We also highlight regulatory mechanisms by which auditory intervention affects an organism, encompassing modulation of immune responses, gene expression, neurotransmitter regulation and neural circuitry. As a safe, cost-effective and non-invasive intervention, music therapy offers substantial potential in treating a variety of neurological conditions.

Combining Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) with Conventional Treatments for Major Depressive Disorder

For many of the complementary and alternative (CAM) medicine methods, it is biologically plausible to expect that they could provide additional benefits in the treatment of major depressive disorder (e.g., enhanced initial response, augmentation, and tolerability) when combined with conventional treatments. Although most likely not comprehensively, herein we critically review current explicit clinical data pertaining to the most extensively evaluated CAMs in this setting: physical activity/exercise, mind and body methods, acupuncture, light therapy, diet, probiotics, various nutrients, and herbal preparations. While the absolute amount of data is enormous, the number of reliable primary studies (randomized controlled trials) and, particularly, meaningful meta-analyses of such studies are very limited. Consequently, the certainty of evidence about benefit or no benefit is very low for each of the addressed CAMs.

Biological principles for music and mental health

Efforts to integrate music into healthcare systems and wellness practices are accelerating but the biological foundations supporting these initiatives remain underappreciated. As a result, music-based interventions are often sidelined in medicine. Here, I bring together advances in music research from neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry to bridge music's specific foundations in human biology with its specific therapeutic applications. The framework I propose organizes the neurophysiological effects of music around four core elements of human musicality: tonality, rhythm, reward, and sociality. For each, I review key concepts, biological bases, and evidence of clinical benefits. Within this framework, I outline a strategy to increase music's impact on health based on standardizing treatments and their alignment with individual differences in responsivity to these musical elements. I propose that an integrated biological understanding of human musicality-describing each element's functional origins, development, phylogeny, and neural bases-is critical to advancing rational applications of music in mental health and wellness.

Perceived Quality of Online Music Therapy Sessions by Older Adults Aging at Home

Online delivery is new to the field of music therapy (MT). This research investigated older adults' perceived quality of MT online by certified music therapists. In this feasibility study, applying both process and outcome assessments, nine older adults volunteered to participate. Zoom was used, and a virtual music therapy (VMT) kit was developed as a resource. Surveys and observed technical difficulties revealed that perceived quality varied slightly by level of technical difficulty experienced; however, overall mean perceived quality was 7.2 out of 9. Post-study interviews revealed three main themes: (a) individual experiences with VMT, (b) individuals' suggestions for further development of VMT sessions, and (c) individuals' personal outcomes from VMT sessions. Participants reported overall positive experiences with VMT. Despite a slight decline in perceived quality when more technical difficulties were present, each participant reported a desire for more sessions, and they would recommend it to others.

Music prevents stress-induced depression and anxiety-like behavior in mice

Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder worldwide and remains incurable; however, there is little research on its prevention. The leading cause of depression is stress, and music has been hypothesized to alleviate stress. To examine the potential beneficial effects of music on stress and depression, we subjected mice to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) during the day and music at night. Strikingly, our results indicated that music completely prevented CUMS-induced depression and anxiety-like behaviors in mice, as assessed by the open field, tail suspension, sucrose preference, novelty suppressed feeding, and elevated plus maze tests. We found that listening to music restored serum corticosterone levels in CUMS mice, which may contribute to the beneficial effects of music on the mouse brain, including the restoration of BDNF and Bcl-2 levels. Furthermore, listening to music prevented CUMS-induced oxidative stress in the serum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus of mice. Moreover, the CUMS-induced inflammatory responses in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of mice were prevented by listening to music. Taken together, we have demonstrated for the first time in mice experiments that listening to music prevents stress-induced depression and anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Music may restore hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis homeostasis, preventing oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurotrophic factor deficits, which had led to the observed phenotypes in CUMS mice.

Intra- and inter-brain coupling and activity dynamics during improvisational music therapy with a person with dementia: an explorative EEG-hyperscanning single case study

Objective

Real-life research into the underlying neural dynamics of improvisational music therapy, used with various clinical populations, is largely lacking. This single case study explored within-session differences in musical features and in within- and between-brain coupling between a Person with Dementia (PwD) and a music therapist during a music therapy session.

Methods

Dual-EEG from a music therapist and a PwD (male, 31 years) was recorded. Note density, pulse clarity and synchronicity were extracted from audio-visual data. Three music therapists identified moments of interest and no interest (MOI/MONI) in two drum improvisations. The Integrative Coupling Index, reflecting time-lagged neural synchronization, and musical features were compared between the MOI and MONI.

Results

Between-brain coupling of 2 Hz activity was increased during the MOI, showing anteriority of the therapist's neural activity. Within-brain coupling for the PwD was stronger from frontal and central areas during the MOI, but within-brain coupling for the therapist was stronger during MONI. Differences in musical features indicated that both acted musically more similar to one another during the MOI.

Conclusion

Within-session differences in neural synchronization and musical features highlight the dynamic nature of music therapy.

Significance

The findings contribute to a better understanding of social and affective processes in the brain and (interactive) musical behaviors during specific moments in a real-life music therapy session. This may provide insights into the role of such moments for relational-therapeutic processes.

Effectiveness of music-based interventions to address well-being in people with a vision impairment: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this review were to identify the types of music-based interventions and associated accessibility challenges for people who have visual impairment (VI) and their reported effects on psychological, physiological and social well-being.

DESIGN

A scoping review was developed according to the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and guidelines. A narrative synthesis was conducted to map out the types of music-based interventions undertaken and to compare the therapeutic outcomes. The studies were evaluated according to the music reporting checklist.

RESULTS

In total 5082 records were identified, 69 full-text articles were screened and 13 studies were included. Eleven studies included younger children and teenagers, two focused on adults with acquired VI. Ten studies involved active music therapy strategies and three used passive music listening. Eleven of the studies focused on social outcomes and two reported mental health. Although the studies reported that music-based intervention strategies improved psychosocial well-being in people with a VI, conclusions could not be drawn as robust outcome measures were not generally used and only four of the studies included any statistical analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Although potential was evident, details of intervention protocols and training requirements were not sufficiently reported and further, high-quality evidence-based studies are required.

Music in the Middle: A Culture-Cognition-Mediator Model of Musical Functionality

Music is both universal, appearing in every known human culture, and culture-specific, often defying intelligibility across cultural boundaries. This duality has been the source of debate within the broad community of music researchers, and there have been significant disagreements both on the ontology of music as an object of study and the appropriate epistemology for that study. To help resolve this tension, I present a culture-cognition-mediator model that situates music as a mediator in the mutually constitutive cycle of cultures and selves representing the ways individuals both shape and are shaped by their cultural environments. This model draws on concepts of musical grammars and schema, contemporary theories in developmental and cultural psychology that blur the distinction between nature and nurture, and recent advances in cognitive neuroscience. Existing evidence of both directions of causality is presented, providing empirical support for the conceptual model. The epistemological consequences of this model are discussed, specifically with respect to transdisciplinarity, hybrid research methods, and several potential empirical applications and testable predictions as well as its import for broader ontological conversations around the evolutionary origins of music itself.

Effectiveness of group arts therapies (art therapy, dance movement therapy and music therapy) compared to group counselling for diagnostically heterogeneous psychiatric community patients: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in mental health services (the ERA study)

BACKGROUND

Arts therapies are widely but inconsistently provided in community mental health. Whilst they are appealing to patients, evidence for their effectiveness is mixed. Trials to date have been limited to one art-form or diagnosis. Patients may hold strong preferences for or against an art-form whilst group therapies rely on heterogeneity to provide a range of learning experiences. This study will test whether manualised group arts therapies (art therapy, dance movement therapy and music therapy) are effective in reducing psychological distress for diagnostically heterogeneous patients in community mental health compared to active group counselling control.

METHODS

A pragmatic multi-centre 2-arm randomised controlled superiority trial with health economic evaluation and nested process evaluation. Adults aged ≥ 18, living in the community with a primary diagnosis of psychosis, mood, or anxiety disorder will be invited to participate and provide written informed consent. Participants are eligible if they score ≥ 1.65 on the Global Severity Index of the Brief Symptom Inventory. Those eligible will view videos of arts therapies and be asked for their preference. Participants are randomised to either their preferred type of group arts therapy or counselling. Groups will run twice per week in a community venue for 20 weeks. Our primary outcome is symptom distress at the end of intervention. Secondary outcomes include observer-rated symptoms, social situation and quality of life. Data will be collected at baseline, post-intervention and 6 and 12 months post-intervention. Outcome assessors and trial statisticians will be blinded. Analysis will be intention-to-treat. Economic evaluation will assess the cost-effectiveness of group arts therapies. A nested process evaluation will consist of treatment fidelity analysis, exploratory analysis of group process measures and qualitative interviews with participants and therapists.

DISCUSSION

This will be the first trial to account for patient preferences and diagnostic heterogeneity in group arts therapies. As with all group therapies, there are a number of logistical challenges to which we have had to further adapt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the study will provide evidence as to whether there is an additive benefit or not to the use of the arts in group therapy in community mental health care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN, ISRCTN88805048 . Registered on 12 September 2018.

Does Music Intervention Improve Anxiety in Dementia Patients? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Music interventions (MIs) have been widely used to relieve anxiety in dementia in clinical settings. However, limited meta-analysis with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on this topic has been conducted so far. A systematic search was conducted in four major databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) for data provided by RCTs from the inception to February 2023. The search strategy employed the terms "anxiety AND music AND dementia OR Alzheimer's disease". Thirteen RCTs (827 participants) were included. The results showed MI reduced anxiety significantly (SMD = -0.67, p < 0.001), especially for Alzheimer's disease (p = 0.007) and Mixed (p < 0.001)-type dementia. Moreover, significant improvements in agitation (p = 0.021) and depression (p < 0.001) in dementia were observed. Additionally, several psychological mechanisms which may be associated with MI were reviewed comprehensively. In conclusion, our findings support the efficacy of MI in alleviating anxiety symptoms in dementia patients. PROSPERO Registration (ID: CRD42021276646).

Music-based environmental therapy and training programme: a qualitative evaluation study, Norway

Various authors have emphasized music's value as beneficial intervention, with few or hardly any side effects. Further studies are called for on how music-based environmental treatment in nursing homes works in practice. The aims of the study are first to explore the subjective experiences, opinions and attitudes of health personnel from nursing homes participating in the 'music-based environmental therapy programme (MB programme); and second, to examine why and how this programme impacts on patients and staff, and how it works in practice. It is the first qualitative study to evaluate the impact of the programme on health personnel's daily practice in nursing homes. The sample was strategically selected by means of convenience sampling, and consisted of 26 (n = 26) nurses, managers, physiotherapists, social workers and carers from 11 nursing homes in the south-east of Norway. Data were collected in autumn 2019 using a methodological triangulation of in-depth interviews, focus groups and passive observation, and the data were analyzed using systematic text condensation. With systematic use of music in daily activities in the nursing homes, users became calmer and less outspoken, and the use of psychotropic drugs was greatly reduced. The MB programme seems to be a successful intervention that provides a unique opportunity to improve patients' health and well-being with minimal adverse effects. This new focus on non-pharmacological approaches makes investigation of alternatives to medication vital.

"Help! I need some music!": Analysing music discourse & depression on Reddit

Individuals choose varying music listening strategies to fulfill particular mood-regulation goals. However, ineffective musical choices and a lack of cognizance of the effects thereof can be detrimental to their well-being and may lead to adverse outcomes like anxiety or depression. In our study, we use the social media platform Reddit to perform a large-scale analysis to unearth the several music-mediated mood-regulation goals that individuals opt for in the context of depression. A mixed-methods approach involving natural language processing techniques followed by qualitative analysis was performed on all music-related posts to identify the various music-listening strategies and group them into healthy and unhealthy associations. Analysis of the music content (acoustic features and lyrical themes) accompanying healthy and unhealthy associations showed significant differences. Individuals resorting to unhealthy strategies gravitate towards low-valence tracks. Moreover, lyrical themes associated with unhealthy strategies incorporated tracks with low optimism, high blame, and high self-reference. Our findings demonstrate that being mindful of the objectives of using music, the subsequent effects thereof, and aligning both for well-being outcomes is imperative for comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of music.

An interdisciplinary multimodal integrative healthcare program for depressive and anxiety disorders

Objective

Although multimodal interventions are recommended in patients with severe depressive and/or anxiety disorders, available evidence is scarce. Therefore, the current study evaluates the effectiveness of an outpatient secondary care interdisciplinary multimodal integrative healthcare program, delivered within a transdiagnostic framework, for patients with (comorbid) depressive and/or anxiety disorders.

Methods

Participants were 3,900 patients diagnosed with a depressive and/or anxiety disorder. The primary outcome was Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) measured with the Research and Development-36 (RAND-36). Secondary outcomes included: (1) current psychological and physical symptoms measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and (2) symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress measured with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). The healthcare program consisted of two active treatment phases: main 20-week program and a subsequent continuation-phase intervention (i.e., 12-month relapse prevention program). Mixed linear models were used to examine the effects of the healthcare program on primary/secondary outcomes over four time points: before start 20-week program (T0), halfway 20-week program (T1), end of 20-week program (T2) and end of 12-month relapse prevention program (T3).

Results

Results showed significant improvements from T0 to T2 for the primary variable (i.e., RAND-36) and secondary variables (i.e., BSI/DASS). During the 12-month relapse prevention program, further significant improvements were mainly observed for secondary variables (i.e., BSI/DASS) and to a lesser extent for the primary variable (i.e., RAND-36). At the end of the relapse prevention program (i.e., T3), 63% of patients achieved remission of depressive symptoms (i.e., DASS depression score ≤ 9) and 67% of patients achieved remission of anxiety symptoms (i.e., DASS anxiety score ≤ 7).

Conclusion

An interdisciplinary multimodal integrative healthcare program, delivered within a transdiagnostic framework, seems effective for patients suffering from depressive and/or anxiety disorders with regard to HRQoL and symptoms of psychopathology. As reimbursement and funding for interdisciplinary multimodal interventions in this patient group has been under pressure in recent years, this study could add important evidence by reporting on routinely collected outcome data from a large patient group. Future studies should further investigate the long-term stability of treatment outcomes after interdisciplinary multimodal interventions for patients suffering from depressive and/or anxiety disorders.

Group music therapy with songwriting for adult patients with long-term depression (SYNCHRONY study): a feasibility and acceptability study of the intervention and parallel randomised controlled trial design with wait-list control and nested process evaluation

BACKGROUND

Despite effective treatments, one fifth of patients develop chronic depression. Music therapy may offer a different approach. This study aimed to assess feasibility and acceptability of a music therapy intervention and trial methodology.

METHODS

A parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial with wait-list control, mixed feasibility/acceptability measures and nested process evaluation. Adults with long-term depression (symptom duration > 1 year) were recruited from community mental health services and computer randomised to 42 sessions of group music therapy with songwriting three times per week or wait-list control. Depression, social functioning, distress, quality of life, satisfaction and service use were assessed by blinded researchers at enrolment, 1 week and 3 and 6 months post-therapy. Outcomes were analysed descriptively, controlling for baseline covariates. Recruitment (number eligible, participation and retention rates) and intervention (fidelity, adherence) feasibility were assessed using pre-defined stop-go criteria. Attendance, adverse events, mood, relationship satisfaction and semi-structured interviews were analysed in a nested process evaluation.

RESULTS

Recruitment processes were feasible with 421 eligible, 12.7% participation and 60% (18/30) retention. Thirty participants were randomised to intervention (N = 20) and control (N = 10). Session attendance was low (mean 10.5) with four withdrawals. Music therapist adherence was good but changes to session frequency were suggested. Outcomes were available for 10/20 treatment and 9/10 wait-list participants. Depression increased in both arms post-therapy. Treatment depression scores fell below baseline 3 and 6 months post-therapy indicating improvement. Wait-list depression scores increased from baseline 3 and 6 months post-therapy. At 3 months, the treatment arm improved from baseline on all measures except satisfaction and functioning. At 6 months, quality of life, distress and functioning improved with reduction in health service contacts. High-attending participants improved more than low-attending. Seven adverse events (one serious) were reported.

LIMITATIONS

As this was a feasibility study, clinical outcomes should be interpreted cautiously.

CONCLUSION

A randomised controlled trial of group music therapy using songwriting is feasible with inclusion criteria and session frequency modifications, but further intervention development is required.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN18164037 on 26.09.2016.

[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and music therapy]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with disabling co-morbidities can benefit from music therapy devices that are effective on anxiety, dyspnea, depression and quality of life. This complementary support therapy is easy to implement, in hospital or at home, and allows the patient to take ownership of this self-care.

Treatment fidelity in a pragmatic clinical trial of music therapy for premature infants and their parents: the LongSTEP study

BACKGROUND

Treatment fidelity (TF) refers to methodological strategies used to monitor and enhance the reliability and validity of interventions. We evaluated TF in a pragmatic RCT of music therapy (MT) for premature infants and their parents.

METHODS

Two hundred thirteen families from seven neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) were randomized to receive standard care, or standard care plus MT during hospitalization, and/or during a 6-month period post-discharge. Eleven music therapists delivered the intervention. Audio and video recordings from sessions representing approximately 10% of each therapists' participants were evaluated by two external raters and the corresponding therapist using TF questionnaires designed for the study (treatment delivery (TD)). Parents evaluated their experience with MT at the 6-month assessment with a corresponding questionnaire (treatment receipt (TR)). All items as well as composite scores (mean scores across items) were Likert scales from 0 (completely disagree) to 6 (completely agree). A threshold for satisfactory TF scores (≥4) was used in the additional analysis of dichotomized items.

RESULTS

Internal consistency evaluated with Cronbach's alpha was good for all TF questionnaires (α ≥ 0.70), except the external rater NICU questionnaire where it was slightly lower (α 0.66). Interrater reliability measured by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was moderate (NICU 0.43 (CI 0.27, 0.58), post-discharge 0.57 (CI 0.39, 0.73)). Gwet's AC for the dichotomized items varied between 0.32 (CI 0.10, 0.54) and 0.72 (CI 0.55, 0.89). Seventy-two NICU and 40 follow-up sessions with 39 participants were evaluated. Therapists' mean (SD) TD composite score was 4.88 (0.92) in the NICU phase and 4.95 (1.05) in the post-discharge phase. TR was evaluated by 138 parents. The mean (SD) score across intervention conditions was 5.66 (0.50).

CONCLUSIONS

TF questionnaires developed to assess MT in neonatal care showed good internal consistency and moderate interrater reliability. TF scores indicated that therapists across countries successfully implemented MT in accordance with the protocol. The high treatment receipt scores indicate that parents received the intervention as intended. Future research in this area should aim to improve the interrater reliability of TF measures by additional training of raters and improved operational definitions of items.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Longitudinal Study of music Therapy's Effectiveness for Premature infants and their caregivers - "LongSTEP".

CLINICALTRIALS

gov Identifier: NCT03564184. Registered on June 20, 2018.

Effects of soothing images and soothing sounds on mood and well-being

OBJECTIVES

Mental health problems are increasing at an alarming rate, calling for the need for more cost-effective and easily accessible interventions. Visual images and sounds depicting nature have been found to have positive effects on individuals' mood and well-being; however, the combined effects of images and sounds have been scarcely investigated. This study therefore aimed to compare the mood effects of viewing nature-related soothing images versus listening to soothing sounds versus a combination of both.

METHODS

In this study, 149 participants aged 18-83 years old (M = 35.88, SD = 15.63; 72.5% female, male 26.8%, .7% transgender) were randomised into three intervention conditions: images only, sounds only or combined (images and sounds). Baseline depressive and anxiety symptoms were indexed, and four outcome variables (positive affect, negative affect, serenity affect and depressive mood states) were measured pre- and post-intervention.

RESULTS

Findings showed that all participants, regardless of group, reported a decrease in negative affect, positive affect and depressive mood as well as an increase in serenity affect (including feelings of soothe). However, there were no group differences. Exploratory analyses found that individuals with higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms at baseline experienced greater reduction in negative affect and depressive mood state, as well as a larger increase in serenity affect.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings therefore provide preliminary evidence that, upon further research and development, images and sounds depicting nature can potentially be developed for use as an effective tool to improve mood and well-being.

Neuroplastic Changes in Addiction Memory-How Music Therapy and Music-Based Intervention May Reduce Craving: A Narrative Review

Recent findings indicate that Music Therapy (MT) and Music-Based Interventions (MBIs) may reduce craving symptoms in people with Substance Use Disorders (SUD). However, MT/MBIs can lead SUD clients to recall memories associated with their drug history and the corresponding strong emotions (addiction memories). Craving is a central component of SUD, possibly linked to relapse and triggered by several factors such as the recall of memories associated with the drug experience. Therefore, to address the topic of what elements can account for an improvement in craving symptoms after MT/MBIs, we conducted a narrative review that (1) describes the brain correlates of emotionally salient autobiographical memories evoked by music, (2) outlines neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies suggesting how the experience of craving may encompass the recall of emotionally filled moments, and (3) points out the role of perineuronal nets (PNNs) in addiction memory neuroplasticity. We highlight how autobiographical memory retrieval, music-evoked autobiographical memories, and craving share similar neural activations with PNNs which represent a causal element in the processing of addiction memory. We finally conclude by considering how the neuroplastic characteristics of addiction memory might represent the ground to update and/or recalibrate, within the therapy, the emotional content related to the recall.

The Creative Drummer: An EEG-Based Pilot Study on the Correlates of Emotions and Creative Drum Playing

It is reasonable to assume that emotional processes are involved in creative tasks and the generation of creative ideas. In this pilot study, we investigate the emotional correlates in professional drummers during different degrees of creative music playing. Ten participants performed three tasks: repetitive rhythmic drum playing, pattern-based improvisation, and attention-intensive free improvisation, while their EEG activity was recorded. Arousal and valence levels were estimated from the EEG data at baseline and for the three tasks. Results show significantly increased levels of valence (i.e., increased prefrontal right alpha power compared to prefrontal left alpha power) during pattern-based and free improvisation relative to baseline, and significantly increased levels of valence during free improvisation relative to pattern-based improvisation. These results seem to indicate that positive emotion (characterized as increased valence) is associated with the creation of original ideas in drum playing and that the freer the creative process, the greater the positive effect. The implication of these results may be of particular relevance in the fields of music-based therapeutic interventions and music pedagogy.

Music engagement is negatively correlated with depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic via reward-related mechanisms

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected the mental health of millions of people. We assessed which of many leisure activities correlated with positive mental health outputs, with particular attention to music, which has been reported to be important for coping with the psychological burden of the pandemic. Questionnaire data from about 1000 individuals primarily from Italy, Spain, and the United States during May-June 2020 show that people picked music activities (listening to, playing, singing, etc.) most often as the leisure experiences that helped them the most to cope with psychological distress related with the pandemic. During the pandemic, hours of engagement in music and food-related activities were associated with lower depressive symptoms. The negative correlation between music and depression was mediated by individual differences in sensitivity to reward, whereas the correlation between food-related activities and improved mental health outputs was explained by differences in emotion suppression strategies. Our results, while correlational, suggest that engaging in music activities could be related to improved well-being with the underlying mechanism being related to reward, consistent with neuroscience findings. Our data have practical significance in pointing to effective strategies to cope with mental health issues beyond those related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Altered Functional Connectivity and Complexity in Major Depressive Disorder after Musical Stimulation

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental illness. This study used electroencephalography (EEG) to explore the effects of music therapy on brain networks in MDD patients and to elucidate changes in functional brain connectivity in subjects before and after musical stimulation. EEG signals were collected from eight MDD patients and eight healthy controls. The phase locking value was adopted to calculate the EEG correlation of different channels in different frequency bands. Correlation matrices and network topologies were studied to analyze changes in functional connectivity between brain regions. The results of the experimental analysis found that the connectivity of the delta and beta bands decreased, while the connectivity of the alpha band increased. Regarding the characteristics of the EEG functional network, the average clustering coefficient, characteristic path length and degree of each node in the delta band decreased significantly after musical stimulation, while the characteristic path length in the beta band increased significantly. Characterized by the average clustering coefficient and characteristic path length, the classification of depression and healthy controls reached 93.75% using a support vector machine.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Artificial Neural Network-Based Music Therapy for Depression

In order to evaluate the therapeutic effect of music therapy on patients with depression, this paper proposes a CNN-based noise detection method with the combination of HHT and FastICA for noise removal, with good data support from the DBN model. DBN-based feature extraction and classification are completed. As the training process of DBN itself requires a large number of training samples, there are also disadvantages such as slow convergence speed and easy to fall into local minima, which lead to a large amount of effort and time, and the learning efficiency is relatively low. A DBN optimization algorithm based on artificial neural network was proposed to evaluate the efficacy of music therapy. First of all, through the comparison of music therapy experimental group and control group, to verify that music therapy is effective for the treatment of depressed patients. Secondly, we propose to optimize the selection of features based on the frequency band energy ratio and the sliding average sample entropy, respectively, and then to classify the EEG of depressed patients under different music perceptions by training the DBN model and continuously adjusting the parameters, combined with the surtax classifier, and the classification accuracy is high. In particular, it can detect the different effects of different music styles, which is of great significance for the selection of appropriate music for the treatment of depressed patients.

Prevalence of virtual reality (VR) games found through mental health categories on STEAM: a first look at VR on commercial platforms as tools for therapy

BACKGROUND

Immersive virtual reality (VR) games are increasingly becoming part of everyday life. Several studies support immersive VR technology as a treatment method for mental health problems. There is however little insight into the prevalence of commercially available VR games for treatment of mental health problems on commercial platforms such as STEAM, and to what extent they can be used as tools for treatment or add-on treatment of mental health problems.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to take a first look at the prevalence and overview of content of commercially available games. The games were found using search words related to psychiatric diagnosis or care.

METHODS

We performed a search for keywords related to symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment strategies of mental health problems. The search was performed November 2020 on STEAM. A scheme was created for elimination and inclusion of games, eliminating those games which were irrelevant to mental health or had triggering elements such as violence, excessive movement which could trigger nausea, horror and pornographic imagery.

RESULTS

In total, 735 hits were found, 565 unique games. After the games were reviewed for content via trailers, descriptions and screenshots, 32%, i.e. 182 games passed the inclusion criteria. Majority of the games which were excluded were either not connected to mental health, contained violence, adult content or were in other ways irrelevant or inappropriate.

CONCLUSIONS

Commercial platforms are only at the beginning of the development towards therapeutic content. Currently the quality and usability for therapeutic use is scarce but holds great potential.

Effect of Group Impromptu Music Therapy on Emotional Regulation and Depressive Symptoms of College Students: A Randomized Controlled Study

Difficulty in emotional regulation is significantly correlated with depression. Depression is a psychological disease that seriously affects the physical and mental health of college students. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop diversified preventive interventions such as group impromptu music therapy (GIMT). The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of GIMT on the improvement of emotional regulation ability and the reduction of depressive symptoms in college students. A 71 college students (36 in the experimental group and 35 in the control group) were recruited to carry out randomized controlled trial was used. The experimental group was intervened by GIMT. After the 4th week of intervention, follow-up and scale measurement were carried out. In the experimental group, emotional regulation difficulty scales (DERS) showed significant difference before and after GIMT, implying the improvement in the emotional regulation. But there was no significant improvement in the control group. In addition, the depressive symptoms of experimental group were relieved. All findings showed that GIMT can effectively improve college students’ emotional regulation and reduce depressive symptoms.

The efficacy of complementary and traditional practice on psychiatric patients with depression symptoms: A meta- analysis study

PURPOSE

This study examined the effect sizes of the complementary and traditional practices on the depressive symptom levels in psychiatric patients DESIGN AND METHODS: The "Health Evidence™ Quality Assessment Tool" and "Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3" program was used.

FINDINGS

A total of 81 studies with 5934 patients were included. The effect size of the complementary and traditional methods applied to psychiatric patient on depressive symptoms was calculated as d = 0.718 (p = 0.000). According to Cohen, studies have moderate effect size.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Complementary and traditional practices were found to be significant and effective on depressive symptoms in psychiatric patients.

The effect of music therapy on the anxiety, depression and sleep quality in intensive care unit patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Music therapy serves as a non-pharmacological intervention for a variety of disorders with promising results. However, the effect of music therapy on improving anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients remains unclear. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effect of music therapy on improving anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in ICU patients, thus providing evidences to support music therapy as a novel complementary alternative therapy.

METHODS

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the efficacy of music therapy on improving anxiety, depression and sleep quality in ICU patients published before January 2022 will be searched in online databases, including the PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database, and WanFang Database. Literature screening, data extraction, and evaluation of risk of bias will be independently performed by two investigators. Meta-analysis will be performed using Stata 14.0 software.

RESULTS

The results of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

CONCLUSION

This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence for the effect of music therapy on anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in ICU patients.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was not required for this study. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, and shared on social media platforms.

OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER

DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/EXAZ6.

Clinical and Neural Predictors of Treatment Response to Music Listening Intervention after Stroke

Patients with post-stroke impairments present often significant variation in response to therapeutic interventions. Recent studies have shown that daily music listening can aid post-stroke recovery of language and memory, but reliable predictors of treatment response are unknown. Utilizing data from the music intervention arms of a single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) on stroke patients (N = 31), we built regression models to predict the treatment response of a two-month music listening intervention on language skills and verbal memory with baseline demographic, clinical and musical data as well as fMRI data from a music listening task. Clinically, greater improvement in verbal memory and language skills after the music listening intervention were predicted by the severity of the initial deficit and educational level. Neurally, greater baseline fMRI activation during vocal music listening in the left parietal cortical and medial frontal areas predicted greater treatment-induced improvement in language skills and greater baseline engagement of the auditory network during instrumental music listening predicted improvement in both verbal memory and language skills. Our results suggest that clinical, demographic, and neuroimaging data predicts music listening treatment response. This data could be used clinically to target music-based treatments.

Music, mental health, and immunity

Music is a crucial element of everyday life and plays a central role in all human cultures: it is omnipresent and is listened to and played by persons of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds. But music is not simply entertainment: scientific research has shown that it can influence physiological processes that enhance physical and mental wellbeing. Consequently, it can have critical adaptive functions. Studies on patients diagnosed with mental disorders have shown a visible improvement in their mental health after interventions using music as primary tool. Other studies have demonstrated the benefits of music, including improved heart rate, motor skills, brain stimulation, and immune system enhancement. Mental and physical illnesses can be costly in terms of medications and psychological care, and music can offer a less expansive addition to an individual's treatment regimen. Interventions using music offers music-based activities in both a therapeutic environment (Music therapy) with the support of a trained professional, and non-therapeutic setting, providing an atmosphere that is positive, supportive, and proactive while learning non-invasive techniques to treat symptoms associated with various disorders – and possibly modulate the immune system.

Sensory Stimulation Via the Visual, Auditory, Olfactory and Gustatory Systems Can Modulate Mood and Depression

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, predicted to be the leading cause of disease burden by the next decade. There is great deal of emphasis on the central origin and potential therapeutics of depression whereby the symptomatology of depression has been interpreted and treated as brain generated dysfunctions filtering down to the periphery. This top-down approach has found strong support from clinical work and basic neuroscientific research. Nevertheless, despite great advances in our knowledge of the etiology and therapeutics of depression, success in treatment is still by no means assured.. As a consequence, a wide net has been cast by both clinicians and researchers in search of more efficient therapies for mood disorders. As a complementary view, the present integrative review advocates approaching mood and depression from the opposite perspective: a bottom-up view that starts from the periphery. Specifically, evidence is provided to show that sensory stimulation via the visual, auditory, olfactory and gustatory systems can modulate depression. The review shows how -depending on several parameters- unisensory stimulation via these modalities can ameliorate or aggravate depressive symptoms. Moreover, the review emphasizes the bidirectional relationship between sensory stimulation and depression. Just as peripheral stimulation can modulate depression, depression in turn affects-and in most cases impairs-sensory reception. Furthermore, the review suggests that combined use of multisensory stimulation may have synergistic ameliorative effects on depressive symptoms over and above what has so far been documented for unisensory stimulation.

Effects of music therapy on anxiety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of music therapy on anxiety from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The following electronic databases were utilized for selecting eligible studies that were published from inception to March 2021: PubMed, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, and Embase. Standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) values were used to evaluate the efficacy of music therapy on anxiety. Thirty-two studies with 1,924 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Music therapy lasted an average of 7.5 sessions (range, 1-24 sessions), while the average follow-up duration was 7.75 weeks (range, 1-16 weeks). Music therapy significantly reduced anxiety compared to the control group at post-intervention (SMD = -0.36, 95% CI: -0.54 to -0.17, p < 0.05), but not at follow-up (SMD = -0.23, 95% CI: -0.53 to 0.08, p >0.05). Subgroup analysis found a significantly positive effect of music therapy on anxiety in < 60 and ≥ 60 age-group (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI: -0.52 to -0.09, p < 0.05; SMD = -0.45, 95% CI: -0.85 to -0. 05, p < 0.05), developed and developing country group (SMD = -0.28, 95% CI: -0.51 to -0.06, p < 0.05; SMD = -0.49, 95% CI: -0.80 to -0.17, p < 0.05), < 12 and ≥ 12 sessions group (SMD = -0.24, 95% CI: = -0.44 to -0.03, p < 0.05; SMD = -0.59, 95% CI: -0.95 to -0.22, p < 0.05), respectively. Our study indicated that music therapy can significantly improve anxiety during treatment. But given that only eight RCTs reported the effects of music therapy at follow-up and the duration of follow-up was inconsistent, further researches are needed on the lasting effects after the intervention is discontinued.

Self-reported music perception is related to quality of life and self-reported hearing abilities in cochlear implant users

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the relationship between self-reported music perception and appreciation and (1) quality of life (QoL), and (2) self-assessed hearing ability in 98 post-lingually deafened cochlear implant (CI) users with a wide age range.

METHODS

Participants filled three questionnaires: (1) the Dutch Musical Background Questionnaire (DMBQ), which measures the music listening habits, the quality of the sound of music and the self-assessed perception of elements of music; (2) the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ), which measures health-related QoL; (3) the Speech, Spatial and Qualities (SSQ) of hearing scale, which measures self-assessed hearing ability. Additionally, speech perception was behaviorally measured with a phoneme-in-word identification.

RESULTS

A decline in music listening habits and a low rating of the quality of music after implantation are reported in DMBQ. A significant relationship is found between the music measures and the NCIQ and SSQ; no significant relationships are observed between the DMBQ and speech perception scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest some relationship between CI users' self-reported music perception ability and QoL and self-reported hearing ability. While the causal relationship is not currently evaluated, the findings may imply that music training programs and/or device improvements that improve music perception may improve QoL and hearing ability.

Effect of instrumental music on anxiety and depression among hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Hemodialysis patients suffer from mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. One of the known nonpharmacological methods to eliminate these disorders is music therapy. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of instrumental music on state depression and anxiety in hemodialysis patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was a clinical trial. The population was hemodialysis patients in Hamedan in 2017 and 50 patients were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The duration each time of the instrumental music intervention for the experimental group was 3 weeks, 3 times a week for 20 min. Data were measured by beck depression inventory and SpeilBerger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y1 before the intervention and immediately after the last intervention and analyzed using Yates correction, Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, independent t-test, and Wilcoxon test.

RESULTS

No significant difference between the intervention and control groups was observed before the study in terms of demographic variables (P > 0.05). In the intervention group, the mean and standard deviation of the depression score before the intervention was 8.99 ± 23.68 and after the intervention reached 7.54 ± 14.88, which shows that the variable was significant (P = 0.001); however, no significant difference was observed in the control group. In the intervention group, the mean of state anxiety before the intervention was 10.05 ± 53.76 and after the intervention reached 9.76 ± 42.48, which was statistically significant (P = 0.004), while no significant difference was observed in the control group.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate the positive effect of instrumental music on reducing anxiety and depression in hemodialysis patients. It is recommended that this therapy be used as a nursing method to reduce state anxiety and depression in hemodialysis patients.

Effectiveness of Receptive Music Therapy with Imbedded 10 Hz Binaural Beats Compared with Standard Care for Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of music therapy (MT) with imbedded 10 Hz binaural beats in combination with standard treatment in comparison to standard treatment alone in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS

This study was a randomized controlled trial enrolling 18 MDD adult patients aged ≥20 years old with mild to moderate levels of acute phase depression. The intervention group received MT along with standard treatment, while the control group received only standard treatment. 10-Hz binaural beats were embedded into soothing music. The participants listened to the MT via stereo headphones for 20 min at the clinic and were instructed to continue listening to the track at home at least 3 times/week. The primary outcome was depression score using patient health questionnaire depression screening (PHQ-9). The secondary outcomes were quality of life, measured by the Euro Quality of Life Five-Dimension (EQ-5D) rating, and medications adherence, measured by the medication adherence rating scale (MARS). The outcomes were measured at week 0, week 4, and week 8.

RESULTS

At baseline, the primary outcome of PHQ-9 did not differ between the MT group and the control group (13.3 ± 4.4; 13.9 ± 3.37; p-value = 0.77). After a follow-up of 4 and 8 weeks, the PHQ-9 in the MT group was lower than the control group by 1.50 (95 % confidence interval: -4.46 to 1.46). However, this difference was not significant, with p-value = 0.32. As for the secondary outcome, there were no significant differences in terms of EQ-5D and MARS.

CONCLUSIONS

This study concluded that MDD patients who received 10-Hz binaural beat imbedded MT combined with standard treatment had experienced no significant differences compared with control group in terms of depression score, quality of life, and medication adherence. Further studies are suggested to investigate the long-term effect of MT with binaural beats.

The State of Music Therapy Studies in the Past 20 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis

Purpose: Music therapy is increasingly being used to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. However, publications on the global trends of music therapy using bibliometric analysis are rare. The study aimed to use the CiteSpace software to provide global scientific research about music therapy from 2000 to 2019.

Methods: Publications between 2000 and 2019 related to music therapy were searched from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The CiteSpace V software was used to perform co-citation analysis about authors, and visualize the collaborations between countries or regions into a network map. Linear regression was applied to analyze the overall publication trend.

Results: In this study, a total of 1,004 studies met the inclusion criteria. These works were written by 2,531 authors from 1,219 institutions. The results revealed that music therapy publications had significant growth over time because the linear regression results revealed that the percentages had a notable increase from 2000 to 2019 (t = 14.621, P < 0.001). The United States had the largest number of published studies (362 publications), along with the following outputs: citations on WoS (5,752), citations per study (15.89), and a high H-index value (37). The three keywords “efficacy,” “health,” and “older adults,” emphasized the research trends in terms of the strongest citation bursts.

Conclusions: The overall trend in music therapy is positive. The findings provide useful information for music therapy researchers to identify new directions related to collaborators, popular issues, and research frontiers. The development prospects of music therapy could be expected, and future scholars could pay attention to the clinical significance of music therapy to improve the quality of life of people.