Singing interventions in depression: A scoping review

Abstract

The growing prevalence of depression, a major global health problem, has led to the exploration of complementary treatments such as singing, which can provide emotional healing and psychological support. Singing interventions are known for their universal appeal and potential neurobiological and psychosocial benefits. This review analyzes 11 studies from 2013 to 2023, revealing singing’s efficacy in alleviating depressive symptoms, enhancing emotional well-being, and fostering social connections across diverse populations and backgrounds. The versatility of singing interventions is emphasized, with various formats including online sessions and person-centered therapy, addressing conditions like postpartum depression, geriatric depression with dementia, and depression in Parkinson’s disease patients. The article confirms the effectiveness of these interventions in multiple settings, underlining their adaptability and wide applicability as therapeutic tools. Singing interventions are presented as promising, non-invasive, and enjoyable options for managing depression, with immediate benefits and potential for long-term impact. The review calls for further research and integration of singing into mental health care, advocating for more standardized and flexible intervention strategies and a deeper exploration of singing’s lasting effects on depression.

Keywords

singing music therapy depression postnatal depression scoping review

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Arksey

O’Malley

(2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616

Baker

F. A.

Lee

Y. C.

Sousa

T. V.

Stretton-Smith

P. A.

Tamplin

Sveinsdottir

. . .Gold

(2022). Clinical effectiveness of music interventions for dementia and depression in elderly care (MIDDEL): Australian cohort of an international pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet Healthy Longevity, 3(3), e153–e165. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00027-7

Bannan

(2020). An evolutionary perspective on the human capacity for singing. In Russo

F. A.

Ilari

Cohen

A. J.

(Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing, Volume I: Development (pp. 39–51). Routledge.

Bind

R. H.

Sawyer

Hazelgrove

Rebecchini

Miller

Ahmed

. . .Estevao

(2023). Feasibility, clinical efficacy, and well-being outcomes of an online singing intervention for postnatal depression in the UK: SHAPER-PNDO, a single-arm clinical trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 9(1), 131. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-023-01360-9

Camlin

D. A.

Daffern

Zeserson

(2020). Group singing as a resource for the development of a healthy public: A study of adult group singing. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 7(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00549-0

Dalvi-Garcia

Fonseca

L. L.

Vasconcelos

A. T. R.

Hedin-Pereira

Voit

E. O.

(2021). A model of dopamine and serotonin-kynurenine metabolism in cortisolemia: Implications for depression. PLOS Computational Biology, 17(5), Article e1008956. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008956

Del Giacco

Anguera

M. T.

Salcuni

. (2020). The action of verbal and non-verbal communication in the therapeutic alliance construction: A mixed methods approach to assess the initial interactions with depressed patients. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 234. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00234

Dingle

G. A.

Clift

Finn

Gilbert

Groarke

J. M.

Irons

J. Y.

. . .Williams

E. J.

(2019). An agenda for best practice research on group singing, health, and well-being. Music & Science, 2, 2059204319861719. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059204319861719

Fancourt

Finn

. (2019). What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/329834

10.

Fancourt

Perkins

. (2018). Effect of singing interventions on symptoms of postnatal depression: Three-arm randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 212(2), 119–121. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2017.29

11.

Filippa

Monaci

M. G.

Spagnuolo

Serravalle

Daniele

Grandjean

(2021). Maternal speech decreases pain scores and increases oxytocin levels in preterm infants during painful procedures. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 17301. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96840-4

12.

Foulkes

(2021). An exploration into online singing and mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic for people with anxiety and/or depression. International Journal of Community Music, 14, 295–310. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm_00049_1

13.

Gouk

Kennaway

Prins

Thormahlen

(2018). The Routledge companion to music, mind, and well-being. Routledge.

14.

Han

E. Y.

Yun

J. Y.

Chong

H. J.

Choi

K. G.

(2018). Individual therapeutic singing program for vocal quality and depression in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Movement Disorders, 11(3), 121–128. https://doi.org/10.14802/jmd.17078

15.

Heydon

Fancourt

Cohen

A. J

. (2020). The Routledge companion to interdisciplinary studies in singing, Volume III: Wellbeing. Routledge.

16.

Jones

(2020). The arts therapies: A revolution in healthcare. Routledge.

17.

Kang

Scholp

Jiang

J. J.

(2018). A review of the physiological effects and mechanisms of singing. Journal of Voice, 32(4), 390–395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2017.07.008

18.

Maratos

A. S.

Gold

Wang

Crawford

M. J.

(2008). Music therapy for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 11, CD004517. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004517.pub2

19.

McMeekin

Germeni

Briggs

(2020). How methodological frameworks are being developed: Evidence from a scoping review. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 20(1), 173. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-020-01061-4

20.

Mohiuddin

A. K.

(2019). Non-drug pain management: Opportunities to explore. Lap Lambert Academic Publishing.

21.

Nowakowska

Zghebi

S. S.

Ashcroft

D. M.

Buchan

Chew-Graham

Holt

. . .Kontopantelis

(2019). The comorbidity burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus: Patterns, clusters and predictions from a large English primary care cohort. BMC Medicine, 17(1), 145. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1373-y

22.

Palazzi

Meschini

Piccinini

C. A.

(2021). NICU music therapy effects on maternal mental health and preterm infant’s emotional arousal. Infant Mental Health Journal, 42(5), 672–689. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21938

23.

Perkins

Spiro

Waddell

(2023). Online songwriting reduces loneliness and postnatal depression and enhances social connectedness in women with young babies: Randomised controlled trial. Public Health, 220, 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.04.017

24.

Perkins

Yorke

Fancourt

. (2018). How group singing facilitates recovery from the symptoms of postnatal depression: A comparative qualitative study. BMC Psychology, 6(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-018-0253-0

25.

Peter

(2023). What distinguishes singing as a unique form of expression? Indonesian Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Technology, 1(9), 867–878. https://doi.org/10.55927/marcopolo.v1i9.6552

26.

Schuch

F. B.

Stubbs

(2019). The role of exercise in preventing and treating depression. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 18(8), 299–304. https://doi.org/10.1249/jsr.0000000000000620

27.

Sharda

Silani

Specht

Tillmann

Nater

Gold

(2019). Music therapy for children with autism: Investigating social behaviour through music. Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 3(11), 759–761. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(19)30265-2

28.

Sharda

Tuerk

Chowdhury

Jamey

Foster

Custo-Blanch

. . .Hyde

(2018). Music improves social communication and auditory–motor connectivity in children with autism. Translational Psychiatry, 8(1), 231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-018-0287-3

29.

Sheppard

Broughton

M. C.

(2020). Promoting wellbeing and health through active participation in music and dance: A systematic review. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 15(1), 1732526. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2020.1732526

30.

Sidik

Kamaruzaman

A. F.

Abdullah

M. J.

(2021). Music therapy in medicine of Islamic civilisation. In Agrawal

Sutar

Jallapally

(Eds.), Music in health and diseases. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98707

31.

Varga

Krueger

(2013). Background emotions, proximity and distributed emotion regulation. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 4(2), 271–292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-013-0134-7

32.

Vuilleumier

Trost

(2015). Music and emotions: From enchantment to entrainment. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1337, 212–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12676

33.

Werner

Wosch

Gold

(2017). Effectiveness of group music therapy versus recreational group singing for depressive symptoms of elderly nursing home residents: Pragmatic trial. Aging & Mental Health, 21(2), 147–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2015.1093599

34.

World Health Organization. (2021). Comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2030. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240031029

35.

Wulff

Hepp

Wolf

O. T.

Fehm

Schaal

N. K.

(2021). The influence of maternal singing on well–being, postpartum depression and bonding—A randomised, controlled trial. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 21(1), 501. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-021-03933-z

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.02 MB