A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Music Therapy on Depression for Stroke Patients

Purpose: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of music therapy for depression in stroke patients. Methods: 823 studies were retrieved from seven databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, RISS, KISS, and NDSL). Articles published up to June 2022 were selected for this study. Eight studies that satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for meta-analysis. The data was analyzed using the R 4.0.2 program. Results: Most studies had a low risk of bias. The pooled effect size showed that music therapy was able to reduce depression(ES=-0.87, 95% Cl=-1.52~-0.22, p=.016). In addition, the effect sizes were evaluated for type, length per session, duration, and total sessions, but they did not show statistically significant differences between groups. Conclusion: Music therapy helps reduce depression after stroke. However, subgroup analyses did not show significant between-group differences related to the details of the implemented programs. Studies with larger samples and additional meta-analyses of music therapy are required.