Table 1.
Key characteristics and ratings of overall confidence in the results (based on AMSTAR 2) of included systematic reviews.
| Field of Application | Author(s), Year (Type(s) of Intervention Studied) * | Number of Studies/Participants (Total) | (Primary) Outcomes | Confidence in the Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autism Spectrum Disorders | Geretsegger et al., 2014 [13] [MT] |
10/165 | Social interaction; non-verbal and verbal communicative skills; initiating behavior; social–emotional reciprocity |
High |
| Shi et al., 2016 [14] (MT) |
6/300 | Mood; language; behavior; sensory perception; social skills | Low | |
| Disability | Jellison and Draper, 2015 [17] (MT, MBI) |
22/> 562 1 | Behavior in the categories: music, social, academic, motor, on-task | Critically low |
| Epilepsy | Brackney and Brooks, 2018 [20] (MM, MBI) |
8/268 | Seizure frequency; epileptiform activity (EEG) | Critically low |
| Mental Health | Aalbers et al., 2017 [22] (MT, MBI) |
9/421 2 | Clinician-rated and patient-reported depressive symptoms | High |
| Geipel et al., 2017 [25] (MT, MM, MBI) |
5/195 | Internalizing symptoms | Low | |
| Neonatal Care | van der Heijden et al., 2016 [26] (MT, MM, MBI) |
20/1128 | Physiological parameters; growth and feeding; behavioral state; relaxation Outcomes and pain | Moderate |
| Bieleninik et al., 2016 [27] (MT) |
16/1071 3 | Physiological and behavioral parameters; maternal anxiety; service-level outcome | Moderate | |
| O’Toole, 2017 [28] (MT, MM, MBI) |
12/918 | Physiological indicators; feeding behaviors; length of stay; pain | Critically low | |
| Neuro-rehabilitation | Magee et al., 2017 [30] (MT, MM, MBI) |
29 4/775 | Gait, upper extremity function | High |
| Pain, Anxiety and Stress in Medical Procedures | Yinger and Gooding, 2015 [31] (MT, MM) |
50 5/4379 | Pain and anxiety during medical procedures | Moderate |
| Kim and Stegemann, 2016 [34] (MT, MM) |
36/1990 | Three categories: pediatrics (e.g., pain, anxiety, stress); mental health; miscellaneous | Moderate | |
| Pediatric Oncology and Palliative Care | Bradt et al., 2016 [40] (MT, MM) |
52 6/3731 | Psychological outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety); physical outcomes (e.g., fatigue, nausea, pain) | High |
* MT = music therapy; MM = music medicine; MBI = other music-based interventions. 1 In some of the included studies, the numbers of participants were not indicated or unclear. 2 In two of the nine publications [35,36], adolescent patients were studied (total n = 82). 3 Number of infant participants; in addition, 286 parent participants were included. 4 According to the selection criteria of the review, “studies that included people older than 16 years of age” were examined; based on the information given in the review it is not possible to indicate how many adolescents were included; most of the studies report a mean age > 50 years of age. 5 Eight of the 50 studies involved pediatric participants (total n = 705). 6 Five of the 52 publications were conducted in pediatric patients (total n = 201).