Music therapy for mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

IF 4.9 3区医学 Q1 PEDIATRICS

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health Pub Date : 2026-06-23 DOI:10.1186/s13034-026-01102-8

Zhiyong Zhang, Ming Ye, Lin Zhang

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Abstract

Background: Child and adolescent mental disorders impose substantial individual and societal burdens. This study synthesized randomized evidence on the effects of music therapy on depressive and anxiety symptoms, self-esteem, and health-related quality of life in young people, and explored whether intervention characteristics were associated with variations in effect estimates.

Methods: Following PRISMA 2020, this review was retrospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD420261382585). PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched from inception to July 31, 2025, without language limits. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials enrolling participants aged 6 to 18 years; comparators were no treatment, waitlist, attention control, or usual care; the planned intervention duration was at least four weeks; and outcomes were validated continuous measures at end of treatment. Random-effects models with restricted maximum likelihood generated standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95 percent confidence intervals. Prespecified moderators included age group, session length, session frequency, program duration, and adherence.

Results: Nine trials (n = 690) met inclusion criteria. Music therapy reduced depressive symptoms versus controls (SMD - 0.55; 95% CI, - 0.71 to - 0.38) and improved self-esteem (SMD 0.45; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.64) and quality of life (SMD 0.69; 95% CI, 0.37 to 1.01). Two trials showed reduced anxiety (SMD - 0.42; 95% CI, - 0.75 to - 0.08). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested larger effect estimates in younger children and in interventions with longer sessions, higher weekly frequency, longer duration, and higher adherence; however, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small number of trials.

Conclusion: Music therapy may offer meaningful benefits for youth mental health, although evidence for anxiety and quality of life is based on a limited number of studies. Findings related to age and intervention delivery characteristics should be considered exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than evidence of causality or optimal dosing.

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音乐治疗对儿童和青少年心理健康的影响：随机试验的系统回顾和荟萃分析。

背景：儿童和青少年精神障碍给个人和社会带来了巨大的负担。本研究综合了音乐治疗对年轻人抑郁和焦虑症状、自尊和健康相关生活质量影响的随机证据，并探讨了干预特征是否与效果估计的变化有关。方法：遵循PRISMA 2020，本综述在PROSPERO （CRD420261382585）回顾性注册。PubMed、Embase、Cochrane CENTRAL、Web of Science、b谷歌Scholar、ClinicalTrials.gov和WHO国际临床试验注册平台从成立到2025年7月31日进行了检索，没有语言限制。符合条件的研究是随机对照试验，纳入6至18岁的参与者；比较者是没有治疗、等候名单、注意力控制或常规护理；计划干预时间至少为四周；治疗结束时的连续测量验证了结果。具有限制最大似然的随机效应模型产生标准化平均差异（SMD）和95%的置信区间。预先指定的调节因素包括年龄组、疗程长度、疗程频率、疗程持续时间和依从性。结果：9项试验（n = 690）符合纳入标准。与对照组相比，音乐治疗减轻了抑郁症状（SMD - 0.55; 95% CI, - 0.71至- 0.38），改善了自尊（SMD 0.45; 95% CI， 0.26至0.64）和生活质量（SMD 0.69; 95% CI， 0.37至1.01）。两项试验显示焦虑减轻（SMD - 0.42; 95% CI, - 0.75至- 0.08）。探索性亚组分析表明，在年龄较小的儿童中，以及在治疗时间较长、每周频率较高、持续时间较长和依从性较高的干预措施中，效果估计较大；然而，考虑到试验数量较少，这些发现应该谨慎解读。结论：音乐疗法可能对青少年的心理健康有意义的好处，尽管关于焦虑和生活质量的证据是基于有限的研究。与年龄和干预措施提供特征相关的发现应被视为探索性和假设生成，而不是因果关系或最佳剂量的证据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health PEDIATRICSPSYCHIATRY-PSYCHIATRY

CiteScore

7.00

自引率

3.60%

发文量

审稿时长

16 weeks

期刊介绍： Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, the official journal of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, is an open access, online journal that provides an international platform for rapid and comprehensive scientific communication on child and adolescent mental health across different cultural backgrounds. CAPMH serves as a scientifically rigorous and broadly open forum for both interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange of research information, involving psychiatrists, paediatricians, psychologists, neuroscientists, and allied disciplines. The journal focusses on improving the knowledge base for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of mental health conditions in children and adolescents, and aims to integrate basic science, clinical research and the practical implementation of research findings. In addition, aspects which are still underrepresented in the traditional journals such as neurobiology and neuropsychology of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence are considered.