Mindfulness-based receptive music therapy for people with depression – A controlled pilot study to evaluate heart rate variability and mindfulness

Mindfulness-based receptive music therapy for people with depression – A controlled pilot study to evaluate heart rate variability and mindfulness - REMU

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00037175

Enrollment

Registered

2025-06-17

Start date

2018-04-11

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-10-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

F32.1, F32.2, F.33.1, F.33.2 F32.1 F32.2 F33.1 F33.2

Interventions

Group 1: Patients with depression with music therapy sessions (IG) The IG participants took part in up to five RMT sessions, depending on the length of their stay in the clinic. These sessions were in

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Patient who were diagnosed with single or recurrent depressive symptoms of moderate to severe severity without psychotic features (ICD-10: F33.1, F33.2, F32.1, F32.2)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria included the use of tricyclic antidepressants (due to their direct influence on the cholinergic system), harmful use of psychotropic substances (e.g., alcohol, opioids, cannabis, cocaine), and no participation in individual music therapy.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
depressive symptoms (BDI II) mindfulness experiences (FFA) Heart Rate Variability (HRV; 24h, sleep, wake) Data collection took place at the beginning (t1) and end (t2) of the inpatient treatment stay. A follow-up measurement (t3) was taken six weeks after the end of the treatment stay. Additional measurements were taken during the first and last intervention (music therapy; only in the IG) during the treatment stay.	—

Measure

Time frame

depressive symptoms (BDI II) mindfulness experiences (FFA) Heart Rate Variability (HRV; 24h, sleep, wake) Data collection took place at the beginning (t1) and end (t2) of the inpatient treatment stay. A follow-up measurement (t3) was taken six weeks after the end of the treatment stay. Additional measurements were taken during the first and last intervention (music therapy; only in the IG) during the treatment stay.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Sleep experience and behaviour (HRI sleep questionnaire) Wellbeing Scale (Basler Befindlichkeits-Skala, BBS)	—

Countries

Austria

Contacts

Public ContactAnja Schäfer

Kunstuniversität Graz

anja.schaefer@kug.ac.at+43 699 11341193

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026