A systematic review of music therapy interventions used to address emotional needs of older adults

Music and emotion regulation have received scholarly attention in and outside music therapy. However, there is a paucity of studies that systematically investigated how music therapy interventions have addressed emotional needs of older persons. This systematic review summarized and synthesized intervention characteristics, outcome and outcome measures used, and assessed quality of intervention reporting of music therapy interventions targeting emotional well-being and older persons. Results indicate promising outcomes of music therapy interventions using various types of music experiences in promoting emotional needs of older persons in diverse cultural contexts. For future studies, it is recommended that researchers include more detailed intervention reporting for increased transparency and replicability of the interventions. Furthermore, more research is needed that includes various settings such as prevention, wellness, and psychosocial rehabilitation post neurological damage.