Skip to main content

Music-Based Interventions May Help Short-Term Depression, Behavior With Dementia

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 11, 2025.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 11, 2025 -- Music-based therapeutic interventions may improve depressive symptoms and overall behavioral problems in the short term for people with dementia, according to a review published online March 7 in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Jenny T. van der Steen, Ph.D., from the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to assess the effects of music‐based therapeutic interventions for people with dementia.

Based on 30 studies (1,720 participants), the researchers found moderate-certainty evidence that music-based therapeutic interventions probably improved depressive symptoms slightly (nine studies; 441 participants). There was low-certainty evidence that it improved overall behavioral problems (10 studies; 385 participants). There was moderate-certainty evidence that music-based therapeutic interventions likely did not improve agitation or aggression (11 studies; 503 participants). There was low- to very low-certainty evidence that music-based interventions did not improve emotional well-being (four studies; 154 participants), anxiety (seven studies; 282 participants), social behavior (two studies; 121 participants), or cognition (seven studies; 353 participants). Four weeks or more after the end of treatment, there was low- or very low-certainty evidence that music-based therapeutic interventions may not have been more effective than usual care for any of the outcomes.

"When compared to usual care, providing people with dementia with at least five sessions of a music‐based therapeutic intervention probably improves depressive symptoms and may improve overall behavioral problems at the end of treatment," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Intensive BP Reduction Effective for Lowering All-Cause Dementia Risk

TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- An intensive blood pressure (BP) reduction intervention is effective for lowering the risk for all-cause dementia among individuals aged 40 years and...

32 Percent of Dementia Attributed to Audiometric Hearing Loss

MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- The population attributable fraction of dementia from any audiometric hearing loss is 32.0 percent, according to a study published online April 17 in...

Recent Years Saw Increase in Youth With Anxiety, Depression

MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- From 2016 to 2022, there was an increase in the proportion of youth who experienced anxiety or depression, according to a research letter published...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.