The Mediating Effects of Digital Music Therapy on Depressive Symptoms in Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a major psychosocial stressor, exacerbating depressive symptoms among youth. Amid escalating environmental stressors, early intervention is essential. Digital music therapy (dMT) shows promise; however, stress-context randomized controlled trials examining its effectiveness and mechanisms are lacking. A total of 1581 youths were identified with depressive symptoms via survey. In a randomized trial, 105 participants were 1:1 assigned to the dMT or control (CON) group. The dMT group received 3 weeks of intervention, while the CON group received none. The primary outcome will assess depression changes ( Δ${\Delta }$ ) of pre- and post-intervention, compared to CON group. Secondary outcomes will evaluate Δ${\Delta }$ Stress and Δ${\Delta }$ Insomnia, compared to CON group. Mediation analysis examined depressive symptoms' role in mediating stress and insomnia, further assessed dMT efficacy's mediating role in these outcomes. There were significant differences in Δ${\Delta }$ Depression, Δ${\Delta }$ Stress, and Δ${\Delta }$ Insomnia between dMT group (n = 30) and CON group (n = 30). Depressive symptoms directly and indirectly mediated the relationship between stress and insomnia among depressive youth identified via survey. The therapeutic effect of the dMT intervention on Δ${\Delta }$ Depression indirectly mediated the relationship between Δ${\Delta }$ Stress and Δ${\Delta }$ Insomnia. Digital MT-driven depression improvement mediates stress and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 105 participants or records.
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