Music therapy might improve quality of life and emotion regulation in depressed women

An experiment involving women with major depressive disorder found improvements in their quality of life, emotion regulation strategies, and everyday depression symptoms following group music therapy. However, there were no effects on depression symptoms as measured by self-report assessments or observer ratings. The research was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Music therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses music to address the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. It offers a creative outlet for expression and emotional release. This type of therapy is used to treat a broad range of conditions, including emotional and mental health issues, developmental and learning disabilities, neurological conditions, chronic illnesses, and more. It is also used in elder care, with individuals suffering from dementia, and in palliative care settings.

In music therapy, participants engage in music-based activities such as singing, playing instruments, or moving to music within a therapeutic setting guided by a trained music therapist. Sessions can be conducted individually—tailored to the specific goals and needs of one person—or in a group setting. Group therapy offers a sense of community and support, allowing individuals to feel less isolated. By creating or listening to music together, participants can explore their emotions in a safe environment, which may lead to improved mood and reduced anxiety.

Study author Christine Gaebel and her colleagues sought to evaluate the effectiveness of group music therapy in treating women with major depressive disorder. They hypothesized that group music therapy would not only reduce depressive symptoms but also improve quality of life and mood regulation through music.

They conducted an experiment involving 102 women between the ages of 18 and 65 who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder but had no other severe mental disorders or physical illnesses. Participants were randomly assigned to six treatment groups consisting of 16–18 women each. Fifty-two were assigned to the intervention group (i.e., they received group music therapy), while fifty were placed in a waitlist control group (i.e., they received no treatment during the study but were scheduled to receive it afterward).

Each participant first underwent a 60-minute individual session consisting of an interview, followed by ten weekly 120-minute group music therapy sessions. Each session included welcome music at the beginning and a closing musical reflection at the end. In the main portion of the session, participants were invited to raise personal issues or concerns, which were then addressed through music therapy interventions guided by the therapist.

These interventions included, for example, free musical improvisation, relaxation techniques, and guided imagery accompanied by music. “The selection of the appropriate interventions was based on therapists’ assessments of patient needs and group dynamics. Even if only a single patient raised a concern, the entire group participated in the intervention, which is not a disadvantage, as there is a significant overlap in patient concerns due to the nature of the disorder,” the authors explained.

Participants completed assessments at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 10 weeks following the intervention. Depression symptoms were evaluated using three different tools: an observer-rated assessment (the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), a self-report questionnaire (BDI-II), and a momentary assessment of depression symptoms in daily life using a visual analog scale. Participants also completed assessments of emotion regulation (the Heidelberg Form for Emotion Regulation Strategies and the Brief Music in Mood Regulation Scale) and quality of life (the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire).

The results showed that group music therapy did not significantly improve self-rated or observer-rated depression symptoms. However, participants did show improvement in depression symptoms as measured in everyday life. Additionally, emotion regulation strategies and quality of life improved. These effects were more pronounced immediately after the intervention than at the 10-week follow-up.

life using a visual analog scale. Participants also completed assessments of emotion regulation (the Heidelberg Form for Emotion Regulation Strategies and the Brief Music in Mood Regulation Scale) and quality of life (the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire).

The results showed that group music therapy did not result in improvements in self-rated or observer-rated depression symptoms. However, the assessment of depression symptoms in everyday life did improve. Participants’ mood regulation strategies and quality of life improved as well. The effects were larger when comparing the time before the intervention to time immediately after the intervention than when looking at the 10-week follow-up (10 weeks after the end of the intervention).

“GMT [group music therapy] is an economical approach to treat MDD [major depressive disorder], yielding health-promoting effects regarding DS [depression symptoms], emotion regulation, and QoL [quality of life]. Manualization [creating a therapy manual and codifying the procedures of the therapy] and further evaluation of MT [music therapy] is strongly recommended,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the potentials of music therapy for treating depression. However, it should be noted that the study only involved women. Effects on men might not be identical. Additionally, only one of the three measures of depression showed improvements after the therapy, so it remains unclear how effective the examined treatment really is on depressive symptoms.

The paper, “Effects of group music therapy on depressive symptoms in women – The MUSED-study: Results from a randomized-controlled trial,” was authored by Christine Gaebel, Martin Stoffel, Corina Aguilar-Raab, Marc N. Jarczok, Sabine Rittner, Beate Ditzen, and Marco Warth.