Music therapy for children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Although music therapy (MT) is considered an effective intervention for young people with mental health needs, its efficacy in clinical settings is unclear. We therefore examined the efficacy of MT in clinical practice. Methods: Two hundred and fifty-one child (8-16 years, with social, emotional, behavioural and developmental difficulties) and parent dyads from six Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service community care facilities in Northern Ireland were randomised to 12 weekly sessions of MT plus usual care [n = 123; 76 in final analyses] or usual care alone [n = 128; 105 in final analyses]. Follow-up occurred at 13 weeks and 26 weeks postrandomisation. Primary outcome was improvement in communication (Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales) (SSIS) at 13 weeks. Secondary outcomes included social functioning, self-esteem, depression and family functioning. Results: There was no significant difference for the child SSIS at week 13 (adjusted difference in mean 2.4; 95% CI À1.2 to 6.1; p = .19) or for the guardian SSIS (0.5; 95% CI À2.9 to 3.8; p = .78). However, for participants aged 13 and over in the intervention group, the child SSIS communication was significantly improved (6.1, 95% CI 1.6 to 10.5; p = .007) but not the guardian SSIS (1.1; 95% CI À2.9 to 5.2; p = .59). Overall, self-esteem was significantly improved and depression scores were significantly lower at week 13. There was no significant difference in family or social functioning at week 13. Conclusions: While the findings provide some evidence for the integration of music therapy into clinical practice, differences relating to subgroups and secondary outcomes indicate the need for further study. ISRCTN Register; ISRCTN96352204.

Group Music Therapy as a Preventive Intervention for Young People at Risk: Cluster-Randomized Trial

“…Therapists confirmed that 13-year olds tended to be more open towards GMT, whereas 15-year olds were more inclined towards choosing their peers independently. In contrast, individual music therapy was found to be more beneficial for older participants (Porter, et al, 2015). Finally, previous findings on dose-effect relations (Gold, et al, 2009) and minimum effective numbers of sessions (Mössler, et al, 2011) might suggest eight sessions of GMT were too short.…”

“…Fewer researchers have focused on adolescents specifically, yet evidence suggests some effectiveness for adolescents with various psychopathologies (Albornoz, 2011;Gold, Voracek, & Wigram, 2004). For example, improvisational music therapy may improve communication and interaction skills, self-esteem and depressive symptoms in adolescents with behavioral and emotional problems (Porter, McConnell, McLaughlin, Lynn, & Holmes, 2015). Authors of qualitative studies and clinical reports have described preventive music therapy approaches, often targeting person-centered benefits related to emotion and peer connectedness Jacobsen & Killen, 2015;Kim, 2015;Kim et al, 2006;Kruger & Stige, 2015;McFerran, Roberts, & O'Grady, 2010;Viega, 2013).…”

A randomized controlled trial evaluating the Hebrew adaptation of the PEERS® intervention: Behavioral and questionnaire‐based outcomes

“…Finally, a separate scale assesses ASD symptoms. It has been used to assess social difficulties among youth with ASD [Gillis, Callahan, & Romanczyk, ], social anxiety [Gresham, Vance, Chenier, & Hunter, ], and behavioral/emotional problem [Porter et al, ]. The internal consistency of the SSIS measures in the current study, calculated at T1, were α = 0.86 for parents and α = 0.91 for teachers.…”

The impact of a community‐based music intervention on the health and well‐being of young people: A realist evaluation

“…Studies which link young people and music are diverse and heterogeneous, covering different areas of music, practice and discipline (McFerran, Garrido, & Saarikallio, 2016). Some studies have explored the effectiveness of music interventions in supporting adolescents with psychopathologies (Albornoz, 2011;Gold, Saarikallio, Crooke, & McFerran, 2017;Gold, Voracek, & Wigram, 2004;Gold, Wigram, & Voracek, 2007), whereas others have analysed how these interventions can improve social connectedness and self-esteem among adolescents with mental health problems and behavioural problems (Hense & McFerran, 2017;McFerran et al, 2016;Porter et al, 2017). Researchers | 989 CALÓ et AL. have also considered the role of community-based initiatives promoting arts and music in addressing problems of disadvantaged young people (Harkins, Garnham, Campbell, & Tannahill, 2016;Parker, Marturano, O'Connor, & Meek, 2018), in youth custodial (Daykin, Viggiani, Moriarty, & Pilkington, 2017) and in community settings (Davies et al, 2013).…”