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Open research questions in Music Therapy and Health

499 gap statements mined from Music Therapy and Health papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,216 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Music Therapy and Health? See the ranked Psychology journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • While music interventions can reduce agitation frequency, their effectiveness for immediate de-escalation and impact on carer distress remain unknown.

    Individualised Music Playlist Based on the Iso‐Principle for De‐Escalating Agitation in Older People With Dementia: Protocol for a RCT · 2026 · DOI

  • MEAMs should be further investigated as a non-pharmacological treatment for age-related cognitive decline and for clinically diagnosed memory disorders.

    The cognitive and emotional content of music-evoked autobiographical memories in older adults · 2025 · DOI

  • Social prescription to group singing is gaining popularity however little is known about those people who undertake the facilitation role.

    Facilitator factors in community-based group singing: A scoping review · 2025 · DOI

  • Symptom management in post-acute rehabilitation, where rehabilitation adherence is essential, is lacking.

    Music listening for fatigue after acquired brain injury: A scoping review project with patient, carer and public involvement (PCPI) data · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research could explore the optimal types of music, volume levels and delivery methods to maximize the calming effects on children during various medical procedures.

    The Effect of Music on Fear and Anxiety of Children During Tomography: A Randomized Controlled Double‐Blind Study · 2025 · DOI

  • Due to the intricate interplay between music and culture, the comparative effectiveness of Western music therapy and five-element music therapy for Chinese patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis warrants further investigation.

    Comparing the effects of Western music and five-element music therapy on patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis: A randomized controlled trial · 2025 · DOI

  • Music can enhance HRV, but it remains unclear which music characteristics are most effective.

    Classical beats and white noise: Unveiling the effect of different music characteristics on heart rate variability · 2025 · DOI

  • BB Chinese instrumental music may not have anxiolytic effects on healthy undergraduate populations, as evidence for an anxiolytic effect was observed only among students with high baseline trait anxiety, warranting further research on this population.

    The effectiveness of Chinese instrumental music embedded with binaural beats in relieving anxiety related to academic stress among undergraduates: A randomized controlled trial · 2024 · DOI

  • Limited research has been done about musical parenting during this time, highlighting the importance of this single case study.

    The use of music in the daily care of an infant: Exploring a mother’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic · 2024 · DOI

  • As compared to other mental health outcomes, homesickness is a relatively understudied phenomenon, yet noteworthy due to its direct association with depression and anxiety.

    Lyrics of longing: Exploring the role of music in the lived experience of homesickness among college students · 2024 · DOI

  • Scalability of the intervention to remote or home-based settings is unclear, as the protocol requires specialized equipment (Muse-S headband, MindGym chamber, noise-canceling headphones) limiting practical implementation.

    Alpha and theta audiovisual interventions in a reflective chamber demonstrate acute effects on stress and burnout · 2026 · DOI

  • Anxiety is a significant psychological complication in diabetic patients. Current interventions may not be effective or safe for elderly diabetic patients. There is a need for non-pharmacological approaches to manage anxiety in this population.

    The Effect of Slow Deep Breathing Combined with Classical Music on Anxiety in Elderly Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Gerontological Nursing Case Study · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the effect of misogynistic lyrics on women exercisers. Prior research has not fully explored the role of lyrics in music during exercise.

    The Psychological Impact of Misogynistic Music Lyrics on Women Exercisers · 2026 · DOI

  • The book identifies a need for increased contextual, intersectional, and sociocultural thinking in music therapy. The book highlights the importance of considering individual/sociocultural and embodied/spiritual poles in music therapy.

    The handbook of music therapy (2nd ed.) (Bunt, Hoskyns & Swamy, eds.) · 2026 · DOI

  • Less is known about how listeners from different cultural and musical backgrounds emotionally engage with and interpret BB listening experiences. The study aims to address this gap by exploring the emotional and well-being responses of participants from different cultural backgrounds to music embedded with BB.

    Emotional and well-being responses to binaural beat music: a mixed-methods exploratory study of cultural background and music preference · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could explore the application of music therapy in different clinical settings. The study's findings could inform the development of music therapy programs that prioritize reciprocity and mutual recognition.

    Making care audible: Musical gifts and affective reciprocity in the clinic · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of music therapy as a form of clinical care that is co-constituted through practices of giving, receiving, and reciprocating. The study highlights the need to challenge liberal regimes that constrain the recognition of musical personhood.

    Making care audible: Musical gifts and affective reciprocity in the clinic · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of effective and enjoyable training methods for improving oral function in elderly individuals. Traditional training methods can be monotonous and ineffective.

    Do new song-based rehabilitation materials improve oral function? · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faces challenges in terms of participant compliance, with compliance monitoring limited to self-reported questionnaires. The study also faces challenges in terms of potential recall bias and social desirability bias in the self-reported questionnaires. The study notes that the relationship between stress and sleep is bidirectional, making it challenging to isolate the effects of the intervention.

    The impact of sound intervention on sleep quality and stress levels in college students: a randomized controlled trial · 2026 · DOI

  • Previous literature on the effects of musical stimuli in facilitating sleep onset has produced mixed results.

    Slow pentatonic sequences facilitate sleep onset · 2025 · DOI

  • Although empirical evidence about music highlights its therapeutic potential for managing stress and anxiety, few studies have explored its role in connection with homesickness.

    Lyrics of longing: Exploring the role of music in the lived experience of homesickness among college students · 2024 · DOI

  • The average interval of 48 days between pre-screening questionnaires and in-laboratory visits (SD = 65) introduces potential variability in participant state that is not accounted for in the analysis.

    Alpha and theta audiovisual interventions in a reflective chamber demonstrate acute effects on stress and burnout · 2026 · DOI

  • The study had a small sample size (N = 30). The study was limited to women exercisers.

    The Psychological Impact of Misogynistic Music Lyrics on Women Exercisers · 2026 · DOI

  • Among the tested pairings, positive Five-Element music with cyan lighting elicited the most favorable immediate emotional and physiological responses in patients with GAD, supporting further investigation of sound‑color matching as a multimodal adjunctive strategy for emotional regulation.

    Optimal sound-color matching scheme of five-element music and lighting colors for emotional responses in patients with GAD: A randomized, two-factor mixed-design trial · 2026 · DOI

  • Psychiatry often neglects the wider sonic environment in which patients live and recover - The mechanisms involved in music and rhythm's effects on affective and motivational circuits are not fully…

    Practical rhythm: integrating sound and attunement into psychiatric care · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Music Therapy and Health

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) While music interventions can reduce agitation frequency, their effectiveness for immediate de-escalation and impact on carer distress remain unknown (“Individualised Music Playlist Based on the Iso‐Principle for De‐Escalating…”, 2026); (2) Scalability of the intervention to remote or home-based settings is unclear, as the protocol requires specialized equipment (Muse-S headband, MindGym chamber, noise-canceling headphones) limiting practical implementation (“Alpha and theta audiovisual interventions in a reflective chamber demonstrate…”, 2026); (3) There is a need for non-pharmacological approaches to manage anxiety in this population (“The Effect of Slow Deep Breathing Combined with Classical Music on Anxiety in…”, 2026); (4) There is a lack of understanding of the effect of misogynistic lyrics on women exercisers (“The Psychological Impact of Misogynistic Music Lyrics on Women Exercisers”, 2026); (5) Less is known about how listeners from different cultural and musical backgrounds emotionally engage with and interpret BB listening experiences (“Emotional and well-being responses to binaural beat music: a mixed-methods…”, 2026). 499 gap statements have been mined from Music Therapy and Health papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,216 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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