Table 3.

Theme and sub-themes (when applicable) within selected articles.

Main themes	Sub-themes	Studies reference
1. Cognitive performance and proprioception	Cognitive performance improvement Therapeutic approach employed by therapist, along with the duration of treatment, positively affected cognitive performance; Longer sessions and a combined approach of “art as therapy” and art psychotherapy correlate with better performance	Alders Pike, 2013
	Proprioception improvement Creative dance program emphasizing body awareness	Marmeleira et al., 2009
	Improved mental function Decreased lonely	Pitkala et al., 2011
2. Self-identity and meaningful life	Self-image improvement A new perspective of life and death Personal meaning in past experiences Positive self-identities	McCarthy et al., 2019
	Improved well-being	Malyn et al., 2020
	Quality of life improvement Music therapy	Diaz Abrahan et al., 2019
	Improved sense of purpose and motivation Improved socialisation use art as a bridge to connect with others Gerotranscendence	Stephenson, 2013
	Improved mental well-being Improved sense of purpose Personal growth and achievement Empowering Enhanced interpersonal relationships	Schoales et al., 2020
3. Reducing loneliness and symptoms of depression	Depression decrease Ego-integrity improvement Depression prevention	Ilali et al., 2018
	Effectiveness of digital technology to use in music therapy with older people	Engelbrecht and Shoemark, 2015
4. The importance of socialization	Upstream model Social networks Psychosocial and health benefits A reversal of the expected downward trends in some aspects of participants’ health	Greaves and Farbus, 2006
	Improved individual well-being Enjoyment Efficacy Relationships	Poulos et al., 2019