The effectiveness of music-based interventions to address well-being in people with a vision impairment: a scoping review

Objectives: The objectivess of this review were to identify the types of music-based interventions and associated accessibility challenges for people who have visual impairment (VI) and their reported effects on psychological, physiological, and social wellbeing.

Design: A scoping review was developed according to the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews checklist and guidelines. A narrative synthesis was conducted to map out the types of music-based interventions undertaken and to compare the therapeutic outcomes. The studies were evaluated according to the music reporting checklist.

Results: In total 5,082 records were identified, 69 full-text articles were screened, and 13 studies were included. Eleven studies included younger children and teenagers, two focussed on adults with acquired VI. Ten studies involved active music therapy strategies and three used passive music listening. Eleven of the studies focused on social outcomes and two reported mental health. Although the studies reported that music-based intervention strategies improved psychosocial wellbeing in people with a VI, conclusions could not be drawn as robust outcome measures were not generally used and only four of the studies included any statistical analysis.

Conclusions: Although potential was evident, details of intervention protocols and training requirements were not sufficiently reported and further, high-quality evidence-based studies are required.