Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42866529›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in psychology2026

Digital empowerment of dance movement therapy: innovative applications and evidence-based evaluation in mental health interventions.

Qilin Zhang, Jianjun Wu, Yifan Fang, Dong Yang, Yu Cheng

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Qilin Zhang *College of Physical Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Jianjun WuSchool of Physical Education and Health Science, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning, China.
Yifan Fang *Sports Department, Zhejiang Automotive Vocational and Technical College, Taizhou, China.
Dong YangCollege of Physical Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Yu ChengCollege of Physical Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and objectives: Mental health disorders are a severe global public health crisis. Dance movement therapy (DMT) offers unique benefits, but traditional DMT is limited by subjective evaluation, non-standardized protocols, and restricted access. Digital technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and wearable sensors may address these limitations; however, a structural gap remains between technological application and rigorous clinical evidence. Methods: This narrative review synthesizes literature from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and CNKI. Sources used for population-specific synthesis were coded by population, intervention modality, outcome measures, study design, and relationship to the review question (direct digital-DMT; digital but non-DMT; conventional DMT/dance; mechanistic/contextual). Claims that extend beyond primary digital-DMT evidence are flagged as interpretive contributions or as findings from adjacent analogue sources. Results: Digital technologies can make DMT more multi-modal and quantitative, but direct trial evidence for digital DMT remains sparse and heterogeneous. Preliminary support for anxiety-related outcomes comes mainly from one small randomized trial of digital dance-art therapy and from mixed-methods online dance studies. Most population-specific estimates in this review derive from conventional (non-digital) DMT/dance syntheses or from digital but non-DMT analogues (for example, VR exposure therapy or home-based exergaming) and should not be read as direct digital-DMT effects. Conventional long-term dance/DMT programmes show modest cognitive improvements in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, while evidence for Alzheimer's disease remains inadequate. In China, Western theoretical frameworks and cultural constraints also limit localization. Conclusion: Digital DMT requires deep interdisciplinary integration rather than simple technological combination. This review proposes a three-level localization framework for China and calls for large-sample randomized controlled trials, stronger data-privacy protections, and narrowed digital divides.

Indexed as

cross-cultural local adaptationdance movement therapydigital healthevidence-based practiceintegrated sports and medicinemulti-modal quantitative assessment

Identifiers

PMID42866529
PMCPMC13656792

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.