| Title | Efficacy of emotion-regulating improvisational music therapy to reduce depressive symptoms in young adult students: A multiple-case study design |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2020 |
| Authors | Aalbers S, Spreen M, Pattiselanno K, Verboon P, Vink A, van Hooren S |
| Journal | The Arts in Psychotherapy |
| Volume | 71 |
| Pagination | 101720 |
| ISSN | 0197-4556 |
| Keywords | Depressive symptoms, Emotion regulation, Emotion-regulating Improvisational Music Therapy (EIMT), Experience sampling method, Multiple case study design, Young adult students |
| Abstract | Depression is a serious mental health problem. Therefore, Emotion-regulating Improvisational Music Therapy (EIMT) to prevent depression was developed. The main purpose of this study was to assess effects of EIMT on reducing depressive symptoms in young adult students. A multiple-case study design was used with multiple methods. Eleven cases (female students) were completed and analysed. Nine out of 11 students reported reliable reductions in depressive symptoms at post-test and four-week follow-up. All students reported significant improvement in emotion regulation at post-test and nine out of 11 at four-week follow-up. The group showed significant reduction of depressive symptoms and significant improvement in emotion regulation at post-test. Results remained after four-week follow-up for both outcomes. Qualitative analysis supported these results. Using piecewise multilevel regression analyses, a small significant effect was found for negative, but not for positive affect. Main limitations are a one-site study, with female students and researcher in dual-role. Further research is needed to provide support for generality. Findings demonstrate that EIMT as a preventive intervention can be beneficial for young adult students within a university context to decrease depressive symptoms and negative affect and improve emotion regulation. Multisite studies are indicated to study effects and mechanisms of EIMT. |
| URL | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197455620300939 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.aip.2020.101720 |
The Sound Health Network is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the University of California, San Francisco, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Renée Fleming.