University of Amsterdam: Music interventions effective against stress

Stress has become an integral part of our society. Research shows that the negative impact of stress is a major risk factor for the development of physical and mental health problems. It follows that we try to protect ourselves against daily and persistent stress in many different ways. Music interventions appear to be an effective and cost-efficient tool. To investigate their effectiveness, researcher Martina de Witte and her colleagues analysed hundreds of studies with a total of more than 12,000 participants. ‘Music interventions are highly beneficial, especially for groups that are very vulnerable to stress and for which psychological interventions are less suitable.’ She will defend her PhD thesis at the University of Amsterdam on Friday, 29 October.

Stress has become an integral part of our society. Research shows that the negative impact of stress is a major risk factor for the development of physical and mental health problems. It follows that we try to protect ourselves against daily and persistent stress in many different ways. Music interventions appear to be an effective and cost-efficient tool. To investigate their effectiveness, researcher Martina de Witte and her colleagues analysed hundreds of studies with a total of more than 12,000 participants. ‘Music interventions are highly beneficial, especially for groups that are very vulnerable to stress and for which psychological interventions are less suitable.’ She will defend her PhD thesis at the University of Amsterdam on Friday, 29 October.