Group music therapy for the proactive management of stress and anxiety

There are limited supports available on Canadian campuses for individuals who are motivated to proactively manage their mental health in comparison to the supports available to students seeking supports for a crisis. Research typically evaluates mental health treatments for individuals with a diagnosis, leaving a paucity of research examining the benefits of therapy for individuals not experiencing a mental health crisis. We conducted this randomized controlled study to explore the effectiveness of group music therapy as a tool for students to proactively reduce their stress and anxiety. Interested students were randomly assigned to either six-weeks of weekly group music therapy or a campus-life-as-usual control group. Significant reductions in cortisol levels from hair samples, as well as psychometric measures of stress and anxiety were observed in the music therapy group in comparison to the control group. Further studies are needed with specific control group comparisons to determine the aspects of group music therapy that led to stress and anxiety reduction. At the end of the study 71% of students responded that they found group music therapy helpful, and 66% responded that they would continue to participate in group music therapy if offered on campus. Additionally, 61% of the students in the control group indicated that they would like to attend group music therapy. These results support the inclusion of group music therapy as an option on university campuses for students interested in proactively managing their stress and anxiety.