An Integrative Review of Trauma-Informed Music Interventions in Educational Settings

Childhood trauma can have devastating impacts and manifest into lifelong morbidities. Recent interest in using music interventions to support children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events has emerged. The aim of this integrative review was to synthesize the current research on trauma-informed music interventions for children and adolescents within educational settings. A total of 1,592 studies were extracted from the database search. Studies were screened according to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, which yielded 36 qualitative and quantitative articles investigating the effects of trauma-informed music interventions in educational settings for students. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive account of how music is used in educational settings to support students with potential exposure to trauma. Therefore, the interventions included were those facilitated by various professionals, including music therapists, music teachers, teachers, psychologists, and others trained in specific music interventions. Results of the review found that various music interventions (e.g., songwriting, music listening, and performance) are being applied across schools globally to assist children and adolescents exposed to potentially traumatic events. Evidence for trauma-informed music interventions within school settings is limited and still developing, with many studies observed to have methodological concerns, such as small sample sizes or exploratory research methods (e.g., qualitative case studies). However, a growing trend toward experimental studies and randomized control trials has emerged over the last 7 years in this area. Encouraging results were found for group drumming, particularly in reducing antisocial behaviors in adolescent males exposed to potentially traumatic events.