Chen Siqing, Yuan Qiao, Wang Chenchen, Ye Jing, Yang Lili
Nursing Department, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
BMC Psychol. 2025 Apr 30;13(1):455. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02643-x.
To assess the effect of music therapy in improving chronic pain (CP), anxiety, depression, and quality of life using randomized controlled trials, and to explore the role of various moderators in MT effectiveness.
Systematic review and Meta-analysis.
We systematically searched four electronic databases for randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of music therapy on chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. We performed a Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment and calculated the pooled standard mean difference in the outcomes of the test and control groups after the intervention period.
Nine randomized controlled trials were retrieved that included a total of 787 patients. Music therapy significantly reduced CP in the test group compared with that in the control group post-intervention and depression, no evidence was observed for improvement in anxiety and quality of life. Subgroup analysis reveals that MT is most effective when interventions are conducted in developed countries, targeting CNMP or cancer pain patients in health centers. The therapy is most effective when patients select their own music, use instruments or earphones, and receive treatment from trained professionals, with an ideal duration of 20 min, except in studies involving postoperative CP or those conducted in developing countries.
Music therapy effectively reduces CP and depression, but has limited effects on anxiety and quality of life. Its effectiveness varies depending on the specific conditions and CP categories of patients, with differences observed between developing and developed countries. Future research should focus on developing standardized guidelines for music therapy, exploring its long-term effects on pain, anxiety, and quality of life, and conducting high-quality, multicenter RCTs in developing countries to support its global adoption in CP management.
通过随机对照试验评估音乐疗法在改善慢性疼痛（CP）、焦虑、抑郁和生活质量方面的效果，并探讨各种调节因素在音乐疗法有效性中的作用。
系统评价和荟萃分析。
我们系统检索了四个电子数据库，以查找调查音乐疗法对慢性疼痛、焦虑、抑郁和生活质量影响的随机对照试验。我们进行了Cochrane偏倚风险评估，并计算了干预期后试验组和对照组结果的合并标准平均差。
检索到9项随机对照试验，共纳入787例患者。与对照组相比，干预后试验组音乐疗法显著降低了慢性疼痛，对于抑郁，未观察到焦虑和生活质量改善的证据。亚组分析显示，在发达国家针对社区非恶性疼痛（CNMP）或癌症疼痛患者在健康中心进行干预时，音乐疗法最有效。当患者选择自己的音乐、使用乐器或耳机，并接受训练有素的专业人员治疗时，该疗法最有效，理想持续时间为20分钟，但涉及术后慢性疼痛的研究或在发展中国家进行的研究除外。
音乐疗法有效减轻慢性疼痛和抑郁，但对焦虑和生活质量的影响有限。其有效性因患者的具体情况和慢性疼痛类别而异，发展中国家和发达国家之间存在差异。未来的研究应侧重于制定音乐疗法的标准化指南，探索其对疼痛、焦虑和生活质量的长期影响，并在发展中国家开展高质量、多中心随机对照试验，以支持其在慢性疼痛管理中的全球应用。
