Evidence mapPaperPMID 40120115Full record

Trial reportStress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress2025

Psychobiological Stress Regulation in Depressive Women Achieved Through Group Music Therapy: Results From the Randomised-Controlled Music Therapy for Depression Study.

Christine Gaebel, Marc N Jarczok, Corina Aguilar-Raab, Sabine Rittner, Marco Warth, Martin Stoffel, Beate Ditzen

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Christine GaebelInstitute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8374-378X
Marc N JarczokClinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Corina Aguilar-RaabSchool of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Sabine RittnerInstitute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Marco WarthSchool of Therapeutic Sciences, SRH University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Martin StoffelInstitute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Beate DitzenInstitute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

Funding

Andreas Tobias Kind FoundationChristiane Nüsslein-Volhard-StiftungDr. Walter and Luise Freundlich FoundationGerman Academic Exchange ServiceGerman Music Therapy SocietyGerman Society for Behavioural Medicine and Behaviour ModificationGraduate Academy of Heidelberg UniversityJoachim Herz StiftungMedizinischen Fakultät Heidelberg, Universität HeidelbergSteffen Lohrer FoundationStiftung Atemweg
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a stress-related disease that affects women more often than men. Music therapy (MT) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of MDD. However, clinical trials investigating the effects of MT on psychological and psychobiological stress-related outcomes in women suffering from MDD are still scarce. This study was conducted as a randomised controlled trial, with participants assigned to either an intervention group (IG), which received group MT (GMT), or a waitlist control group (CG), which received GMT 6 months later. The primary objective was to assess the impact of GMT on psychological stress outcomes (chronic stress, stress coping, and stress experienced in daily life) and psychobiological stress markers (diurnal salivary cortisol levels and circadian heart rate variability), considering the effects of both group allocation and time. Outcome measurements were taken before, immediately after, and-for some variables-10 weeks following the intervention period. A total of 102 women 18-65 years old and diagnosed with current MDD took part in the study. Overall, the IG demonstrated significantly stronger stress-reducing effects than the CG. Significant improvements were observed in general stress coping, positive thinking, daily life stress, and cortisol levels. GMT is a cost-effective and non-invasive approach to effectively address the stress-related psychological and psychobiological burden associated with MDD. To demonstrate long-term effects and gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms, further methodologically robust studies are needed. TRAIL REGISTRATION: The MUSED study was pre-registered at the German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00016616). All study-related procedures were published in detail in a study protocol.

Indexed as

Major Depressive DisorderMusic TherapyPsychotherapy, GroupStress, PsychologicalAdaptation, PsychologicalAdolescentAdultAgedFemaleHeart RateHumansHydrocortisoneMiddle AgedSalivaYoung AdultHydrocortisonecortisoldepressionheart rate variabilitymusic therapyrandomised controlled trialstress

Identifiers

PMID40120115
PMCPMC11929563

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.