Table of Contents

Editorial

Socioeconomic benefits of music-based interventions in Music Therapy and MusicMedicine –
pressing issues of standing, reputation and possible survival

Ralph Spintge, Joanne Loewy

Full Length Articles

Music listening for wellbeing and coping during times of crisis

Emily Philpotts, Nikolaos and Karin Petrini

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Music in clinical pediatric dentistry: A 75-Year scoping review

Balraj Shukla and Anup Kumar Panda’s

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Culturally appropriate music-based activities in residential aged care: A narrative review

Elisabeth F Franke, Anna Chur-Hansen, Luke Dollman , Aileen Collier, and Gregory B Crawford

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The sparkle within: Navigating Williams syndrome through music

Ryan Cannistraro Samantha Vanderslice, Devin Alexandra Hagerty and Robyn P. Thom

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The influence of preoperative music-guided resonance breathing on anxiety and stress before loop conization of the cervix uteri

Susanne Metzner, Philipp Morgott, Carmen Ding, Dominik Fuchs, Nora K. Schaal, Philip Hepp

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Piloting a choir program for nursing home residents with advanced dementia

Nancy Farber and Margot Armstrong

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Featured article: Dr. Karin Petrini on Music Listening for Wellbeing and Coping in Times of Crisis

In this edition of the IAMM newsletter, we are excited to feature an interview with Dr. Karin Petrini, one of the authors of the forthcoming article “Music Listening for Wellbeing and Coping During Times of Crisis,” co-authored with Emily Phillpotts and Nikolaos Fourlemadis. Published in the upcoming issue of Music and Medicine, this timely and insightful research explores how individuals turn to music as a source of emotional support and resilience during periods of global uncertainty, specifically during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Dr. Petrini shares her reflections on what inspired the study, how the research team identified key factors related to wellbeing and coping, and the broader implications for music-based interventions in both clinical and community settings. We are honored to highlight this significant contribution to the growing body of evidence supporting the role of music in mental health and recovery.

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1. What inspired you to investigate the role of music listening specifically during the COVID-19 lockdown period?

This was Nikolaos’s idea. I have been interested in the effect of music listening on emotion and the brain, as well as the effect of musicianship on cognitive abilities and wellbeing for many years now. So, when Nikolaos proposed this idea to me a few years ago, which was inspired by his personal experience during the COVID and lockdown period, I thought it was very timely and important to inform on the impact of music listening on mental health and wellbeing during highly stressful and crisis periods. This is particularly as we know the incidence of mental health conditions drastically increased during that period, and music was the one thing that nearly everyone could safely and easily have access to with no restrictions.

2. Your study identified two key factors—Wellbeing and Coping—through factor analysis. Could you elaborate on how these factors were defined and what types of music experiences they encompassed?

We wanted to make sure the findings were data-driven and based on the experiences of music listeners during the COVID and lockdown. So we did not define them a priori; rather, we identified two main components through an exploratory factor analysis and then named these two components based on the recurring themes. For example, the factor we called Wellbeing included themes like “how much music listening helped participants feel better” during the lockdown, while the factor we called Coping included themes like “how much listening to music helped participants feel less alone”.

3. The findings suggest that individuals with higher anxiety levels particularly benefited from music listening. Were there specific genres or types of music that seemed more effective for this group?

While we looked at many different individual differences in the listeners, we did not examine the effectiveness of different genres of music. The reason was twofold. First, we needed to keep the length of the study feasible to avoid dropouts, and second, participants would listen to their preferred music during lockdown, so what type of music would be more effective for what person would depend on their music taste and the music they associated with positive memories and emotions. We know from literature that different types of music genres can be effective in reducing anxiety, depending on whether the listeners like the music or not. So preference is often more important than the music genre, so we did not focus on this, but it would be an interesting question for future research.

4. You noted gender differences in both emotional responses and post-lockdown music listening habits. What insights do you think these findings offer for music-based interventions or public health messaging?

Yes, our findings show that females were more likely to report increased feelings of fear and depression during the COVID and lockdown period, and also reported listening to more music after the lockdown was lifted compared to males. This finding is in line with previous evidence (e.g., Adrian C. North work) of gender-related differences in the reasons for listening to music, for example, showing that women tend to listen to their favourite musical style to help get through difficult times, to express feelings and emotions, and to reduce loneliness, while men more to be creative and use imagination. Hence, I believe that while women continued to need this support from music even after the lockdown was lifted to cope with another change in their lives and to manage their emotional states and apprehensions, men may have returned to their pre-lockdown musical habits. Although, of course, a speculation at this time, this result suggests that interrupting a music intervention even after the stressor or triggering event is removed may have stronger negative consequences for women than men. However, our study did not manage to gather enough responses from other non-binary genders, and so we still lack a clear understanding of whether other gender differences in music consumption during highly stressful periods are present and should be considered.

5. The study found that older participants were less likely to report changes in musical taste. How might this inform future research or programming for older populations during times of crisis?

While the type of music we listen to may change a lot during youth based on our life goals at a certain time and reasons behind our music consumption, when we get older not only our music taste is refined and established but also our preferred music becomes strongly associated with past life memories of important events that define us and bring about positive feelings (e.g., our wedding day), hence is very important to consider preferred music especially in research and music interventions for older populations. Although intuitive, most of the research has used preselected music when examining the effect of passive music listening in older populations’ wellbeing, so our result outlines that while different types of music may be relevant and effective for younger adults, for older adults, it is key to use music from their familiar repertoire and favourite playlists.

6. How do you see these findings contributing to the broader conversation about the role of music in health and wellness, especially in non-clinical or self-directed settings?

Music is ubiquitous and cost effective, and in the today’s society can be heard and enjoyed by almost everyone in the world, hence, in situations of high stress and crisis can become an easy companion to combat loneliness and share emotions with to quickly improve wellbeing and our ability to cope. While music cannot alone be a solution, I believe it can be an effective first-aid and prevention mechanism in hard times.

7. Did any of the qualitative responses from participants surprise you or offer unexpected insights into the role of music in their daily lives during lockdown?

Nothing surprising, really, but quite amazing how many people talked about music as if it were a friend, always available to you and making you more cheerful, but also less anxious and calmer. What strikes me is how music achieves this friend role without the need for social interaction.

8. Based on your findings, what recommendations would you make for clinicians, therapists, or public policymakers looking to incorporate music into mental health strategies during future crises?

As mentioned, I believe in situations of high crisis and stress music can be a powerful first-aid and prevention tool so I would suggest that in those situations we make sure everyone can access it even in more remote places and through music platform that may require subscriptions if that allows users to create and listen to preferred playlists which will quickly assume the role of companions. Also, clinicians and therapists should be given more resources in those circumstances to create and shape playlists with patients to avoid using music in a maladaptive way, as we know from previous studies that people with depression, for example, may be drawn to listen to sad music that matches their state, but this may have negative consequences. So, clinicians and therapists should be given access to patients’ preferred music platforms that allow them to co-create and check that preferred music and playlists can be optimally tailored for people with existing mental health conditions. For young people with no clinical condition, I would advise, based on our results, to explore new music genres as they may find new friends in them and discover new escape avenues from hard-to-cope situations.