Music therapy for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review with multilevel meta-analyses
de Witte M, Aalbers S, Vink A, Friederichs S, Knapen A, Pelgrim T, Lampit A, Baker FA, van Hooren S. · EClinicalMedicine · 2025 · Systematic review + meta-analysis
Original publication · Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
Fifty-one studies and 3,276 participants produced a medium overall effect on anxiety, including a medium effect for self-reported anxiety.
Recorded limitations
Physiological outcomes were small and non-significant; 39.2% of included studies were rated weak.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Systematic review + meta-analysis
- assessment
- Not recorded
- trust Factor
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Indexed peer-reviewed research; a qualifying randomized controlled design is not established in the reviewed record.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40547443/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- Not recorded
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- sound:vii
- title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-40547443
- doi
- 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293
- pmid
- 40547443
- citation Snapshot
- Not recorded
- citations By Collection
- sound
- Not recorded
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-40547443
- publication Key
- Not recorded
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Music therapy for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review with multilevel meta-analyses
- journal
- EClinicalMedicine
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2025
- authors
- de Witte M, Aalbers S, Vink A, Friederichs S, Knapen A, Pelgrim T, Lampit A, Baker FA, van Hooren S.
- design
- Systematic review + meta-analysis
- kind
- Journal article
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293
- pmid
- 40547443
- urls
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12179724/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40547443/
- collections
sound
- categories
Brain & nervous system · Clinical & self-report
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 1
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- Fifty-one studies and 3,276 participants produced a medium overall effect on anxiety, including a medium effect for self-reported anxiety.
- limitation
- Physiological outcomes were small and non-significant; 39.2% of included studies were rated weak.
- citation Count
- Not recorded
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Indexed peer-reviewed research; a qualifying randomized controlled design is not established in the reviewed record.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40547443/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- sound
- Not recorded
- topics
- key
- sound:vii
- title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
- journal Key
- eclinicalmedicine
- journal Label
- EClinicalMedicine
- chapter Entries
- id
- vii-pmid-40547443
- record Id
- pmid-40547443
- title
- Music therapy for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review with multilevel meta-analyses
- journal
- EClinicalMedicine
- year
- 2025
- authors
- de Witte M, Aalbers S, Vink A, Friederichs S, Knapen A, Pelgrim T, Lampit A, Baker FA, van Hooren S.
- design
- Systematic review + meta-analysis
- urls
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12179724/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40547443/
- quotes
- None recorded
- citation Count
- Not recorded
- source Pages
- None recorded
- targets
- None recorded
- categories
Brain & nervous system · Clinical & self-report
- doi
- 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293
- pmid
- 40547443
- summary
- Fifty-one studies and 3,276 participants produced a medium overall effect on anxiety, including a medium effect for self-reported anxiety.
- limitation
- Physiological outcomes were small and non-significant; 39.2% of included studies were rated weak.
- summary Source
- name
- I AM portal
- url
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40547443/
- reviewed At
- 2026-08-15
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Indexed peer-reviewed research; a qualifying randomized controlled design is not established in the reviewed record.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40547443/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- collection
- sound
- chapter Number
- 2
- topic Id
- vii
- topic Title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- trust Score
- 3
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- id
- anxiety
- evidence
- field
- title
- text
- Music therapy for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review with multilevel meta-analyses
- matched Text
- anxiety
- conditions
anxiety
- topic Trust Scores
3
- full Text
- status
- not-indexed
- retrieval Available
- false