SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2025
The efficacy of music therapy in alleviating anxiety among college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of music-based interventions on test anxiety in students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Changes in Emotional Regulation, Well-Being, and Pain Perception Following Music Therapy in People with Sensory Processing Sensitivity: A Non-Controlled Exploratory Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effects of a piano music listening intervention on depression, academic burnout, and mindfulness: evidence from a randomized controlled trial among Chinese university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Are attitudes toward music therapy associated with lower social anxiety in university students? The roles of emotion regulation and psychological flexibility.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Anxiety is a prevalent psychological issue among university students, adversely affecting their mental health and academic performance. Music therapy (MT) has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate MT's efficacy in alleviating anxiety symptoms among college students. Methods: A comprehensive search of eight databases was conducted up to December 1, 2025.Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving MT interventions for anxiety reduction in college students were included. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool were performed independently by two reviewers. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.2 and Stata 16.0. Results: Eighteen RCTs (from 17 included studies) involving 1,679 participants (829 in the experimental group; 850 in the control group) were included. The meta-analysis demonstrated that MT significantly alleviated anxiety symptoms compared to control groups [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.08 to -1.01, Conclusion: MT is an effective intervention for alleviating anxiety in university students, with combined delivery formats and longer durations showing particular promise. It represents a safe, low-cost, and flexible option for campus mental health services. Future research should prioritize standardizing MT protocols, implementing long-term follow-ups, and conducting cross-cultural validations to facilitate its broader integration.
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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.