Music interventions with children, adolescents and emerging adults in mental health settings: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Music is increasingly used with youths in health and psychosocial interventions. We conducted a scoping review with the aim to provide an overview of the current available evidence on music intervention for youth in mental health settings, to inform practice and further research. METHODS: Three databases (PsycINFO, PubMed and CINAHL) were surveyed. Using the PRISMA review method, 23 studies met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Young people aged from 4 to 25 years old with various mental health conditions participated in music interventions. Music therapy was the most investigated (71%). Improving social skills was the most frequent therapeutic aim addressed. Music interventions are mostly appreciated by the participants, but it is difficult to make conclusions about their effectiveness because of the heterogeneity of research designs and the limited current state of research. CONCLUSION: Music interventions appear to represent a promising complementary approach to usual psychiatric care, but further standardised research is necessary to continue investigating their therapeutic effects.

Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a drum circle activity to improve affect in patients, families and staff of a pediatric hospital.

Background: Children, families and staff in pediatric hospitals often experience elevated psychological distress. Art-based initiatives, such as group drumming, have been proposed as strategies to support well-being in this context. Methods: This study evaluated the feasibility and potential benefits of a drum circle activity designed to improve the affective experience of patients, families and staff in a large pediatric hospital. A total of 48 patients, 16 employees and 15 visitors completed questionnaires before and after up to 12 joint drum circle sessions. A total of 12 respondents took part in semi-structured interviews. Results: Quantitative analyses showed significant pre-post-session increases in positive affect (beta = .48; p < .001) and decreases in negative affect (beta = -.29; p < .001). Qualitative results corroborated these findings, in addition to suggesting the safety of the activity as well as other potential benefits. Conclusions: This preliminary study supports the usefulness of group drumming to enhance the well-being of pediatric hospital patients, families and staff.

MAP: A Personalized Receptive Music Therapy Intervention to Improve the Affective Well-being of Youths Hospitalized in a Mental Health Unit.

The MAP is an innovative receptive music therapy intervention derived from psychomusical relaxation methods that aims to foster the well-being and recovery of youths with mental health problems by providing them with an adaptive and effective music-assisted means to regulate their mood states. In this quasi-experimental pilot study, we assessed the mood-enhancing potential of participation in MAP sessions delivered by a music therapist in an in-patient mental health facility for children and adolescents. Using short standardized self-reported questionnaires, 20 participants aged 9-17 years old (M = 14, SD = 2.4), mainly girls (13 = 65%), rated their affective state immediately before and after two to four MAP sessions and a similar number of regular unit activity sessions used as comparison. This created a 2 × 2 (Time × Condition) single-group within-individual design. We analyzed pre-post session changes in affect using multilevel mixed models and found participation in MAP sessions to be associated with systematic reductions in self-reported general negative affect and state anxiety. These variations were of modest-to-large magnitude and significantly greater than those associated to participation in regular unit activities. While only a first step towards the validation of the MAP as an effective intervention to foster more adaptive and effective day-to-day mood regulation in youths with mental health problems, this study supports its specific potential to alleviate negative affects and provides a rare demonstration of the putative benefits of music therapy in a pediatric mental health inpatient context.