Choir therapy as a psychotherapeutic intervention for reducing depression in mid to later life

![CDATA[This research project investigated the efficacy of choir therapy to reduce mid to later life depression. Chronic mental and physical disorders can lead to the loss of resilience for coping with the stressors associated with mid to later life change in vulnerable individuals, leading to social isolation. Thirty-two community dwelling volunteers from the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, aged 48-73 years participated in the study. Some were allocated to the choir group (N=21) and the remainder to a wait list control group (N=11). This latter group was given the opportunity to join the choir after the study. Both groups were interviewed and assessed for depression, post traumatic stress, well-being and quality of life before and after the intervention. A mixed methods approach compared results between the choir and control groups. In addition to the main study, a pilot trial (N=9), using encephalographic technology was conducted with participants randomly selected from the choir in order to investigate whether any brain changes occurred as the result of choir singing. The eight week choir therapy program included meditation, singing exercises and learning new songs. The wait list control group lived their lives as normal between the pre and post interviews and assessments. Results showed an overall significant decrease in depression and increase in wellness following the eight week choir therapy program. Furthermore, the post brain tests in the pilot trial showed an interhemispheric re-balancing with a lowered P3 novelty (p<0.05). This suggests that choir therapy was effective in reducing hyper-responsiveness to novel stimuli. All results indicated that choir therapy can reduce symptoms of depression, increasing feelings of wellbeing and impacting on healthier ageing.]]