Transforming anxiety, depression, and quality of life in rural remote workers with GAD via music therapy: A quasi-experimental study

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Yari-Renani, Hamid and Oldfield, Lucy. 2025. Transforming anxiety, depression, and quality of life in rural remote workers with GAD via music therapy: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 385, 119440. ISSN 0165-0327 [Article]

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.119440

Abstract or Description

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), often accompanied by comorbid depression, poses significant challenges to mental health, particularly among remote workers in underserved rural areas. These individuals frequently face unique stressors such as isolation, blurred work-life boundaries, and limited access to psychological support, further exacerbating their mental health challenges. Although receptive music therapy has shown well-documented benefits in reducing anxiety and depression in various populations, its effects on remote workers suffering from GAD in rural settings remain unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the independent efficacy of receptive music therapy in reducing anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms while enhancing quality of life in this population. Using a quasi-experimental design, 60 participants were divided into experimental and control groups, with the experimental group undergoing 12 sessions of receptive music therapy. Validated instruments, including the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) questionnaire, were used to assess outcomes. Statistical analyses, including ANCOVA, revealed significant reductions in anxiety scores (24.6 %, effect size = 0.54) and depression scores (12.7 %, effect size = 0.20), alongside a 10 % improvement in quality of life (effect size = 0.10). These findings highlight the potential of receptive music therapy as a standalone, scalable intervention to address mental health disparities among remote workers, offering a novel and accessible solution for improving psychological well-being in underserved populations.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.119440

Data Access Statement:

The data used in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Keywords:

Music therapy, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Depression, Remote workers, Rural and underserved areas

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology
Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS)

Dates: