Group Music Therapy for Emotional Well-Being and Social Connectedness (GMT2025)

Group Music Therapy, Emotional Well-Being, Health, and Social Connectedness Among University Students in Urban China: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial evaluated whether two formats of group music therapy can improve emotional well-being, self-rated health, and social connectedness among undergraduate students living in urban areas in China. A total of 120 students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) active group music therapy, (2) receptive group music therapy, or (3) a waitlist control group.

Both music therapy programs were delivered in person over 6 weeks, with one 60-minute session per week facilitated by trained music therapists. The active format emphasized participatory music-making (e.g., singing, rhythmic activities, and group improvisation), while the receptive format focused on guided music listening and reflection.

Participants completed self-report questionnaires at baseline and immediately after the 6-week period assessing positive and negative affect, anxiety symptoms, general health, and perceived social connectedness. The study examined whether the two music therapy approaches led to improvements compared with the waitlist control condition.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Anxiety; Social Connectedness; Emotional Well-Being
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Active Group Music Therapy; Behavioral: Receptive Group Music Therapy

Detailed Description

This study used a parallel-group randomized controlled design to examine the effects of two structured formats of group music therapy on emotional well-being, anxiety symptoms, self-rated health, and social connectedness among undergraduate students in urban China. Participants were recruited through university announcements and campus-based advertisements. Eligible participants provided informed consent and completed baseline assessments before being randomly allocated to one of three conditions: active group music therapy, receptive group music therapy, or a waitlist control group.

The intervention period lasted 6 weeks. Participants assigned to either music therapy condition attended weekly in-person group sessions of approximately 60 minutes in small groups (10-15 participants). Sessions were delivered by trained music therapists using standardized protocols to ensure structural equivalence across conditions. The active group music therapy format emphasized participatory music-making (e.g., group singing, rhythmic call-and-response, body percussion, and collaborative musical activities) and included brief guided group discussion at the end of each session. The receptive group music therapy format emphasized guided music listening, music-assisted imagery/visualization, reflective writing or moderated discussion, and relaxation/breathing exercises.

Participants in the waitlist control condition did not receive any intervention during the 6-week study period but completed the same baseline and post-intervention assessments as the intervention groups. After completion of the study, waitlist participants were offered the option to attend one group music therapy session.

All outcomes were assessed using self-report measures administered at baseline and immediately after the 6-week period.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Jiangsu
    • Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, 225000
      • Yangzhou University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Undergraduate university students aged 18 to 26 years

Living in an urban area in China

Able to attend weekly in-person group sessions for 6 weeks

Provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

Self-reported severe active clinical diagnosis

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active Music Therapy (MT-A); Weekly in-person active group music therapy sessions for 6 weeks (60 minutes per session; groups of 10-15 participants) facilitated by trained music therapists. Sessions included group singing, rhythmic improvisation using body percussion or simple instruments, collaborative musical games, and brief guided group discussion.	Behavioral: Active Group Music Therapy; Active group music therapy delivered in person once weekly for 6 weeks (60 minutes per session). Activities included group singing, rhythmic call-and-response, body percussion, simple percussion instruments, and collaborative musical games.
Experimental: Receptive Music Therapy (MT-R); Weekly in-person receptive group music therapy sessions for 6 weeks (60 minutes per session; groups of 10-15 participants) facilitated by trained music therapists. Sessions included guided music listening, music-assisted imagery/visualization, reflective writing or moderated discussion, and breathing/relaxation exercises.	Behavioral: Receptive Group Music Therapy; Receptive group music therapy delivered in person once weekly for 6 weeks (60 minutes per session). Activities included guided music listening, music-assisted imagery/visualization, reflective writing or moderated discussion, and breathing/relaxation exercises.
No Intervention: Waitlist Control; Participants received no sessions during the 6-week study period and completed baseline and post-intervention assessments. After study completion, participants were offered the option to attend one group music therapy session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 total score)	Anxiety symptoms assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). Higher scores indicate greater anxiety severity.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (6 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Positive affect (I-PANAS-SF Positive Affect subscale)	Positive affect assessed using the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form (I-PANAS-SF), Positive Affect subscale. Higher scores indicate higher positive affect.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (6 weeks)
Negative affect (I-PANAS-SF Negative Affect subscale)	Negative affect assessed using the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form (I-PANAS-SF), Negative Affect subscale. Higher scores indicate higher negative affect.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (6 weeks)
Self-rated general health (SF-36 General Health subscale)	General health assessed using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), General Health subscale. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating better perceived health.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (6 weeks)
Social connectedness (Social Connectedness Scale-Revised)	Social connectedness assessed using the Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R), Social Connectedness subscale. Higher scores indicate stronger perceived social connectedness.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (6 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Collaborators: Yangzhou University

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Open Science Framework (OSF) page with study materials and de-identified data for this trial.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 2, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 26, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 28, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 1, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 1, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: receptive music therapy; active music therapy; group music therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: GMT2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data and study materials will be made publicly available via the Open Science Framework (OSF).
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: De-identified IPD and supporting information will be available immediately following publication and will remain available indefinitely.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data and supporting information will be publicly available to anyone via the Open Science Framework (OSF). No application or data use agreement will be required.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ANALYTIC_CODE

Study Data/Documents

1. Individual Participant Data Set
   Information identifier: OSF
   Information comments: De-identified participant-level data and supporting information are available via the Open Science Framework (OSF).
2. Study Protocol
   Information identifier: OSF
   Information comments: Study protocol and intervention materials available on OSF.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No