A Scoping Review of Music Therapy in the Lives of Children and Youth With Disabilities and Chronic Conditions in Non-Acute Medical and Community-Based Settings: A Novel Consideration for Art Therapists? (Étude de portée de la musicothérapie dans la vie des enfants et des jeunes ayant des incapacités et des états chroniques en milieux médical et communautaire de soins non actifs : une nouvelle considération pour les art-thérapeutes ?)

• Published in: Canadian Art Therapy Association journal 2020-01, Vol.33 (1), p.17-28
• Main Authors: Moola, Fiona J., Moothathamby, Nivatha, Naganathan, Methuna, Curran, C. J., Yerichuk, Deanna, McPherson, Amy C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Art therapy; Children & youth; Disability; Music therapy
• ISSN: 2690-7240; 0832-2473; 2690-7267; 2377-360X
• DOI: 10.1080/26907240.2020.1753461

The therapeutic benefits of music and art therapy have been recognized for centuries. Despite a growing number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the benefits of art therapy, there has not been a thorough scoping review examining the role of music therapy in the lives of children and youth with disabilities. We examined how music therapy has been utilized in non-acute medical and community-based contexts in the lives of children and youth with disabilities and chronic conditions. The scoping review included a search of six academic databases between 2006 and 2018. Drawing on 44 articles, results revealed that music therapy is associated with no harm and some benefit on physical, emotional, social, behavioral, coping-related, and cognitive markers of health. The greatest positive impact was on perceptions of pain and reduced anxiety. No change in quality of life was reported. Suggestions to enhance the quality of music therapy evidence in the future are proposed. The relevance of our findings to the field of art therapy are discussed.