Findings from individual randomised trials suggest that music therapy is accepted by people with depression and is associated with improvements in mood. However, the small number and low methodological quality of studies mean that it is not possible to be confident about its effectiveness. High quality trials evaluating the effects of music therapy on depression are required.

Objectives: To evaluate he clinical effectiveness of group art therapy for people with schizophrenia and to test whether any benefits exceed those of an active control treatment.\ud Design: Three arm, rater blinded, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial.\ud Setting: Secondary care services across 15 sites in the United Kingdom.\ud Participants: 417 people aged 18 or over, who had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and provided written informed consent to take part in the study.\ud Interventions: Participants, stratified by site, were randomised to 12 months of weekly group art therapy plus standard care alone. Art therapy and activity groups had up to eight members and lasted for 90 minutes. In art therapy, members were given access to a range of art materials and encouraged to use these to express themselves freely. Members of activity groups were offered various activities that did not involve use of art or craft materials and were encouraged to collectively select those they wanted to pursue.\ud Main outcome measures: The primary outcomes were global functioning, measured using the global assessment of functioning scale, and mental health systems, measured using the positive and negative syndrome scale, 24 months after randomisation. Main secondary outcomes were levels of group attendance, social functioning, and satisfaction with care at 12 and 24 months.\ud Results: 24 participants were assigned to either art therapy (n=140), activity groups (n=140), or standard care alone (n=137). Primary outcomes between the three study arms did not differ. The adjusted mean difference between art therapy and standard care at 24 months on the global assessment of functioning scale was -0.9 (95% confidence interval -3.8 to 2.1), and on the positive and negative syndrome scale was 0.7 (-3.1 to 4.6). Secondary outcomes did not differ between those referred to art therapy or those referred to standard care at 12 or 24 months.\ud Conclusions: Referring people with established schizophrenia to group art therapy as delivered in this trial did not improve global functioning, metnal health, or other health related outcomes.\ud Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN46150447

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a prospective population-based cohort study which recruited pregnant women in 1990-1992 and has followed these women, their partners and their offspring ever since. The study reacted rapidly to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, deploying an online questionnaire early on during lockdown (from 9th April to 15th May). In late May 2020, a second questionnaire was developed asking about physical and mental health, lifestyle and behaviours, employment and finances. The online questionnaire was deployed across the parent and offspring generations between the 26th May and 5th July 2020. 6482 participants completed the questionnaire (2639 original mothers, 1039 original fathers/partners, 2711 offspring (mean age ~28 years) and 93 partners of offspring). 1039 new participants who did not respond to the first questionnaire deployed in April completed the second questionnaire.  A positive COVID-19 test was reported by 36 (0.6%) participants (12 G0 and 24 G1), 91 (1.4%; 35 G0 and 56 G1) reported that they had been told by a doctor they likely had COVID-19 and 838 (13%; 422 G0 and 416 G1) suspected that they have had COVID-19.   The observational data from both COVID questionnaires will be complemented with linkage to health records and results of biological testing as they become available. In combination, these data may help us identify true cases. Data has been released as an update to the original dataset released in May 2020. It comprises: 1) a standard dataset containing all participant responses to both questionnaires with key sociodemographic factors and 2) as a composite release coordinating data from the existing resource, thus enabling bespoke research across all areas supported by the study. This data note describes the second questionnaire and the data obtained from it.

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