Summary: A new randomized controlled trial finds that music therapy can lessen depressive symptoms and boost self-esteem in children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional difficulties.
Source: Bournemouth University.
Researchers from Bournemouth University and Queen’s University Belfast report that music therapy reduces depression and improves self-esteem in children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems.
Working with Every Day Harmony (the working name of the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust), the research team evaluated music therapy as an adjunct to usual care for young people aged 8–16. The trial showed that participants who received music therapy in addition to standard care experienced significantly reduced depression and higher self-esteem compared with those receiving usual care alone.
The study, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, also found that older adolescents (aged 13 and above) gained measurable improvements in communication and interaction when offered music therapy alongside standard treatment. Across all age groups the intervention was associated with gradual improvements in social functioning over time.
Conducted between March 2011 and May 2014, this is the largest randomized clinical trial of music therapy for this population to date. A total of 251 children and young people were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups: 123 received music therapy in addition to usual care, and 128 received usual care alone. All participants were being treated for social, emotional, developmental or behavioural difficulties.
Professor Sam Porter, Department of Social Sciences and Social Work at Bournemouth University and lead investigator, said that the findings provide important evidence for clinicians and commissioners to consider when choosing effective treatments for children and young people with mental health and behavioural needs. He emphasized that these results should inform decisions about integrating music therapy into mainstream care pathways.
Dr Valerie Holmes, Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast and co-researcher on the trial, noted that this study represents the most extensive clinical investigation to date into music therapy’s potential benefits for this vulnerable group of young people.
Ciara Reilly, Chief Executive of Every Day Harmony, described the results as dramatic and said the trial provides robust clinical evidence supporting music therapy’s beneficial effects. She highlighted that previous support for music therapy had relied largely on anecdote and small-scale studies, and praised the Big Lottery Fund for enabling this larger trial.
The research team will next analyse cost-effectiveness data to compare music therapy’s economic value relative to other treatment options. These findings will help commissioners and providers assess whether to expand access to music therapy as part of routine services for children and adolescents with mental health and behavioural needs.
Source: Bournemouth University
Image Credit: Bournemouth University.
Original Research: Full open access research titled “Music therapy for children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems: a randomised controlled trial” by Sam Porter et al., published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (online October 27, 2016). DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12656
Suggested citations (examples):
MLA: Bournemouth University. “Music Therapy Can Reduce Depression in Children and Teens.” NeuroscienceNews, 5 November 2016.
APA: Bournemouth University (2016, November 5). Music Therapy Can Reduce Depression in Children and Teens. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
Chicago: Bournemouth University. “Music Therapy Can Reduce Depression in Children and Teens.” Accessed November 5, 2016.
Abstract
Music therapy for children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems: a randomised controlled trial
Background
Music therapy is widely used as an intervention for young people with mental health needs, but evidence of its effectiveness in routine clinical settings has been limited. This trial assessed the clinical efficacy of music therapy delivered alongside usual care in community child and adolescent mental health services.
Methods
Two hundred and fifty-one child-parent pairs (children aged 8–16 with social, emotional, behavioural and developmental difficulties) were recruited from six community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service sites in Northern Ireland. Participants were randomized to receive 12 weekly sessions of music therapy plus usual care (n = 123; 76 included in final analyses) or usual care alone (n = 128; 105 included in final analyses). Outcomes were assessed at 13 and 26 weeks post-randomization. The primary outcome was communication measured by the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) at 13 weeks. Secondary outcomes included social functioning, self-esteem, depression, and family functioning.
Results
The trial found no significant difference between groups on the primary outcome (child-reported SSIS) at week 13 for the full sample. However, in the subgroup of participants aged 13 and over, those receiving music therapy showed significant improvements in child-reported communication skills at 13 weeks. Overall, music therapy was associated with significant improvements in self-esteem and reductions in depressive symptoms at the 13-week assessment. No significant differences were observed in family or broader social functioning at that time point.
Conclusions
These results provide evidence that music therapy can offer clinical benefits—particularly for older adolescents—in communication, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms when added to usual care. Subgroup differences and variations across outcomes highlight the need for further research, including analyses of cost-effectiveness, to guide integration of music therapy into standard clinical practice. Trial registration: ISRCTN96352204.
Study: “Music therapy for children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems: a randomised controlled trial” by Sam Porter, Tracey McConnell, Katrina McLaughlin, Fiona Lynn, Christopher Cardwell, Hannah-Jane Braiden, Jackie Boylan, Valerie Holmes, and the Music in Mind Study Group. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Published online October 27, 2016. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12656