Effects of group music therapy on symptoms and functional recovery in outpatients with chronic psychoses: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction In cases of schizophrenia and other psychoses, a comprehensive strategy that combines psychopharmacology with psychosocial interventions is often used to address symptoms, cognitive deficits, social functioning, and quality of life. The aim of this research was to carry out a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of a music therapy (MT) treatment protocol on quality of life (primary outcome), symptoms, self-esteem, internalized stigma, social cognition, and social functioning (secondary outcomes), when implemented in combination with standard pharmacological and psychosocial rehabilitation (treatment as usual, TAU). Method Sixty clinically stable outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses were randomly allocated to one of two groups: One group was administered TAU (n = 30) and the other TAU + MT (n = 30). The MT component consisted of 22 sessions of evidence-based MT. Outcome measures were obtained before and after treatment using a masked assessment process. Results A total of 57 participants completed the study. All participants were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Differences between the groups were observed for internalized stigma (η2=.46), social functioning (η2=.18) and quality of life (η2=.25), with the TAU + MT group showing significantly greater improvements than the control group. Discussion The results obtained support the benefits of incorporating a MT treatment protocol as a complementary therapy to standard treatment.