SynthesisPerspectives in public health2018
What works for wellbeing? A systematic review of wellbeing outcomes for music and singing in adults.
Synthesis in Perspectives in public health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05993663 (Museums as Health Spaces), which is not on this map. Cited by 81 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Museums as Health Spaces: Design and Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Arts in Health Intervention to Improve the Quality of Life and Functional Capacity Regarding the Pain of People With Fibromyalgia. Mixed Methodology Study.
Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 318 citations in OpenAlex.
- Drawing and visual art interventions for anxiety in children aged 5-12: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Pooled it
- Hobby engagement and mental wellbeing among people aged 65 years and older in 16 countries.Nature medicine · 2023Pooled it
- The role of music in promoting health and wellbeing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of public health · 2023Pooled it
- The Use of Music to Manage Burnout in Nurses: A Systematic Review.American journal of health promotion : AJHP · 2022Pooled it
- Association of Music Interventions With Health-Related Quality of Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- How Singing can Help People With Dementia and Their Family Care-Partners: A Mixed Studies Systematic Review With Narrative Synthesis, Thematic Synthesis, and Meta-Integration.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- Non-pharmacological Approaches to Depressed Elderly With No or Mild Cognitive Impairment in Long-Term Care Facilities. A Systematic Review of the Literature.Frontiers in public health · 2021Pooled it
- Performing arts as a health resource? An umbrella review of the health impacts of music and dance participation.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Maternal communication and attachment following a group singing intervention for postnatal depression: findings from the SHAPER-PND trial.Psychological medicine · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Assessing the impact of a postnatal singing intervention on mental health, well-being measures and mother-infant interaction: results from the SHAPER-PND trial.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Art-Based Intervention to Promote Psychological Adjustment, Self-Concept, and Quality of Life in Children: Protocol for a Cluster Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- A scoping review and categorization of music and health psychometric inventories.Psychology of music · 2026Article
- How does music contribute to well-being? Perspectives from homeless young adults with problematic psychoactive substance use.Psychology of music · 2026Article
- Genetic and Environmental Influences on Singing Self-Evaluation and its Relationship with Singing Ability: An Australian Twin Study.Behavior genetics · 2026Article
- Everyone Breathes: a mixed methods evaluation of a combined Feldenkrais and vocal improvisation group within an adult mental health Recovery College setting.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Everyone Can Sing: Protocol for a non-randomized feasibility study of class choir as mental health promotion among primary school children (ages 5-10) in Denmark.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2025Article
- Article
- Understanding Links between Race/Ethnicity and Health: Does Participation in the Musical Arts Matter?Psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts · 2025Article
- Neurocognitive and emotional benefits of choir singing and their mediating factors across adulthood.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025Article
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsThe role of arts and music in supporting subjective wellbeing (SWB) is increasingly recognised. Robust evidence is needed to support policy and practice. This article reports on the first of four reviews of Culture, Sport and Wellbeing (CSW) commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded What Works Centre for Wellbeing ( https://whatworkswellbeing.org/ ).
objectiveTo identify SWB outcomes for music and singing in adults.
methodsComprehensive literature searches were conducted in PsychInfo, Medline, ERIC, Arts and Humanities, Social Science and Science Citation Indexes, Scopus, PILOTS and CINAHL databases. From 5,397 records identified, 61 relevant records were assessed using GRADE and CERQual schema.
resultsA wide range of wellbeing measures was used, with no consistency in how SWB was measured across the studies. A wide range of activities was reported, most commonly music listening and regular group singing. Music has been associated with reduced anxiety in young adults, enhanced mood and purpose in adults and mental wellbeing, quality of life, self-awareness and coping in people with diagnosed health conditions. Music and singing have been shown to be effective in enhancing morale and reducing risk of depression in older people. Few studies address SWB in people with dementia. While there are a few studies of music with marginalised communities, participants in community choirs tend to be female, white and relatively well educated. Research challenges include recruiting participants with baseline wellbeing scores that are low enough to record any significant or noteworthy change following a music or singing intervention.
conclusionsThere is reliable evidence for positive effects of music and singing on wellbeing in adults. There remains a need for research with sub-groups who are at greater risk of lower levels of wellbeing, and on the processes by which wellbeing outcomes are, or are not, achieved.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.