Effects of Five‐Element Music Therapy on Depression Symptoms After Stroke: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

ABSTRACT Background Depression symptoms are prevalent and persistent psychological problems after a stroke. Five‐element music therapy has been used to improve depression symptoms in stroke patients, but the effects have not yet been unified. Aim This review aims to evaluate the effects of five‐element music therapy on depression symptoms after stroke. Methods We performed a literature search in the English databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science and CINAHL) and Chinese databases (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese BioMedical Database and Weipu Information Chinese Periodical Service Platform). Two investigators independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias according to the eligibility criteria. The RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform the meta‐analysis. The review was reported in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Results A total of 21 studies involving 1612 participants were included in the analysis. Compared to the control group, five‐element music therapy significantly improved depression symptoms (at post‐intervention and at follow‐up), sleep quality, daily living ability, stroke severity and 5‐hydroxytryptamine levels of stroke patients. Subgroup analysis found a significantly positive effect of five‐element music therapy on depression symptoms in different scales, intervention durations and types of five‐element music. Conclusions Five‐element music therapy can be a non‐pharmacological intervention for managing depression symptoms after stroke. Healthcare providers could encourage stroke patients to engage in home‐based five‐element music listening to manage depression symptoms, a practical intervention that can be easily integrated into routine post‐stroke care. Besides, it would be helpful for future researchers to test the use of other musical traditions relevant to other cultures. Patient or Public Contribution Patient or public contribution is not necessary as the study is a systematic review.