ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2025
The healing power of music: a mixed-methods study on stress reduction in paediatric hospitalisation.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesHospitalisation is a potentially distressing experience for children and their families, often accompanied by emotional, psychological, and physical discomfort. Humanised care through complementary and integrative health practices (CIHP), such as music-based interventions (MBIs), has demonstrated beneficial effects in specific paediatric populations. However, evidence in general paediatric hospital settings remains limited. This study aimed to assess the impact of an MBI on perceived stress and the subjective experience of hospitalisation among paediatric patients and their caregivers.
methodsIt was a quasi-experimental study, cross-sectional, with a mixed-methods approach, conducted in a paediatric ward of a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of São Paulo. The study carried out in two phases: (I) a quantitative evaluation of perceived stress using a visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after the intervention; and (II) a qualitative analysis of caregivers’ perceptions through semi-structured interviews. The intervention included 20–40 min of live music using string instruments (kantele or lyre), complemented by age-appropriate singing and spoken word. Quantitative data were analysed using the Wilcoxon test; qualitative data underwent content analysis and lexical analysis via IRAMUTEQ software.
resultsA total of 125 children (mean age: 30.6 months) and their caregivers participated in Phase I. On a scale from 0 to 10, the mean stress score decreased by 2.18 points among children/adolescents and by 1.45 points among caregivers, with the reduction being significant for both (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.0). All participants approved the intervention, and 74.4% reported behavioural improvements in the children. Phase II included 30 interviews, which revealed overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the intervention. Caregivers described the hospital environment as stressful and isolating but reported that the MBI provided relaxation, comfort, and emotional relief for both children and themselves.
conclusionsThe findings highlight the potential of MBIs as an effective, safe and non-pharmacological strategy to reduce stress and improve emotional well-being for paediatric patients and their families. Incorporating music-based practices into routine paediatric care may foster more welcoming, humanised environments that address the emotional needs of children and caregivers.
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.