Effects of Group Music Intervention on Depression, Anxiety, and Relationships in Psychiatric Patients: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE: To test whether group music therapy is effective for improving depression, anxiety, and relationships in psychiatric patients. METHODS: Twenty six patients were non-randomly allocated to either a music intervention group or a routine care group. The music intervention group received 60 minutes of music intervention for 15 sessions (1 or 2 times weekly). The outcomes were measured with Beck's Depression Inventory, the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Relationship Change Scale. RESULTS: After 15 sessions, the music intervention group showed significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and relationships compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that music can improve depression, anxiety, and relationships in psychiatric patients. However, we cannot elucidate the nonspecific effects. Furthermore, objective and replicable measures are required from a randomized controlled trial with a larger sample size and an active comparable control.