The Anxiety‐ and Pain‐Reducing Effects of Music Interventions: A Systematic Review

2008/04/01 by Ulrica Nilsson · 1 citation
Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders #Music Therapy and Health #Neuroscience and Music Perception

paper · doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2007.09.013

crossref issued 2008/04/01 · crossref published 2008/04/01 · crossref published-print 2008/04/01 · openalex publication_date 2008/04/01 · crossref published-online 2008/04/03 · crossref created 2008/04/04 · crossref deposited 2023/09/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Musical interventions have been used in health care settings to reduce patient pain, anxiety, and stress, although the exact mechanism of these therapies is not well understood. This article provides a systematic review of 42 randomized controlled trials of the effects of music interventions in perioperative settings. Music intervention had positive effects on reducing patients' anxiety and pain in approximately half of the reviewed studies. Further research into music therapy is warranted in light of the low cost of implementation and the potential ability of music to reduce perioperative patient distress.

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• The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response

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