Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analyses
Background Music therapy is a commonly used intervention added to usual care for psychiatric disorders. Aims We review the evidence for music therapy and assess its efficacy as an adjunct therapy across psychiatric disorders. Method A systematic literature search was conducted in four scientific...
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472424008263/type/journal_article |
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| author | Alexander Lassner Spyridon Siafis Emanuel Wiese Stefan Leucht Susanne Metzner Elias Wagner Alkomiet Hasan |
| author_facet | Alexander Lassner Spyridon Siafis Emanuel Wiese Stefan Leucht Susanne Metzner Elias Wagner Alkomiet Hasan |
| author_sort | Alexander Lassner |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Background
Music therapy is a commonly used intervention added to usual care for psychiatric disorders.
Aims
We review the evidence for music therapy and assess its efficacy as an adjunct therapy across psychiatric disorders.
Method
A systematic literature search was conducted in four scientific databases to identify relevant meta-analyses. Articles were assessed with the AMSTAR-2 tool. The results of the high-quality articles were recalculated with the data from the primary studies. We decided to add the results of the lower-rated articles, using a narrative approach. We pooled the primary studies and calculated standardised mean differences (SMD) for the transdiagnostic outcomes of depression, anxiety and quality of life. We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) tool to assess the level of evidence.
Results
Meta-analyses were available for autism, dementia, depression, insomnia, schizophrenia and substance use disorders. We identified 40 relevant articles. One article per domain was identified as high quality. Music therapy added to treatment as usual showed therapeutic value in each disorder. The transdiagnostic results showed a positive effect of music therapy on depression (SMD = 0.57, 95% CI 0.36–0.78), anxiety (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.27–0.66) and quality of life (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.24–0.71). However, these effects were not maintained at follow-up, and all results were based on low or very low evidence.
Conclusions
Music therapy shows promising potential as an adjunctive treatment for psychiatric disorders, but methodological weaknesses and variability limit the evidence. More high-quality, well-powered studies are needed to reliably confirm its effect size.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3c2a7c94e80b43d69db712c5d8af6d83 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-3c2a7c94e80b43d69db712c5d8af6d832025-08-20T01:58:48ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242025-01-011110.1192/bjo.2024.826Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analysesAlexander Lassner0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2467-8986Spyridon Siafis1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8264-2039Emanuel Wiese2Stefan Leucht3Susanne Metzner4Elias Wagner5Alkomiet Hasan6Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Germany; and DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), University of Augsburg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Germany; and DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), University of Augsburg, GermanyFaculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences/Leopold Mozart College of Music, University of Augsburg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Germany; and Section of Evidence-based Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Germany; and DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), University of Augsburg, Germany Background Music therapy is a commonly used intervention added to usual care for psychiatric disorders. Aims We review the evidence for music therapy and assess its efficacy as an adjunct therapy across psychiatric disorders. Method A systematic literature search was conducted in four scientific databases to identify relevant meta-analyses. Articles were assessed with the AMSTAR-2 tool. The results of the high-quality articles were recalculated with the data from the primary studies. We decided to add the results of the lower-rated articles, using a narrative approach. We pooled the primary studies and calculated standardised mean differences (SMD) for the transdiagnostic outcomes of depression, anxiety and quality of life. We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) tool to assess the level of evidence. Results Meta-analyses were available for autism, dementia, depression, insomnia, schizophrenia and substance use disorders. We identified 40 relevant articles. One article per domain was identified as high quality. Music therapy added to treatment as usual showed therapeutic value in each disorder. The transdiagnostic results showed a positive effect of music therapy on depression (SMD = 0.57, 95% CI 0.36–0.78), anxiety (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.27–0.66) and quality of life (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.24–0.71). However, these effects were not maintained at follow-up, and all results were based on low or very low evidence. Conclusions Music therapy shows promising potential as an adjunctive treatment for psychiatric disorders, but methodological weaknesses and variability limit the evidence. More high-quality, well-powered studies are needed to reliably confirm its effect size. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472424008263/type/journal_articleMusic therapymusic-basedmusic medicinetransdiagnosticmeta-review |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Lassner Spyridon Siafis Emanuel Wiese Stefan Leucht Susanne Metzner Elias Wagner Alkomiet Hasan Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analyses BJPsych Open Music therapy music-based music medicine transdiagnostic meta-review |
| title | Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analyses |
| title_full | Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analyses |
| title_fullStr | Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analyses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analyses |
| title_short | Evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry: transdiagnostic meta-review of meta-analyses |
| title_sort | evidence for music therapy and music medicine in psychiatry transdiagnostic meta review of meta analyses |
| topic | Music therapy music-based music medicine transdiagnostic meta-review |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472424008263/type/journal_article |
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