The objective of this update to a previously published scoping review was to map how music therapists used virtual music therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual music therapy underwent significant development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, the number of publications increased dramatically compared to early 2021, when only 10 records were available. An update to the previous scoping review was necessary to explore the current state of this emerging music therapy discipline and provide essential information for health care practitioners, scholars, and researchers.

This scoping review included studies examining how music therapists (population) delivered virtual, remote, or online music therapy (concept) across all client groups during the COVID-19 pandemic (context). All types of evidence were included, except for literature reviews, newspaper articles, essays, editorials, letters to the editor, and bachelor's theses. The search strategy was conducted in English across relevant databases and journals.

Following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews, we updated a scoping review published in 2021. Available evidence was searched in databases, including searches for unpublished studies, gray literature, and relevant journal archives, along with manual searches of reference lists. The search was limited from October 2020 (the date of the previous search) until December 2024. Two independent reviewers screened all reports against the eligibility criteria and performed the data extraction.

The global music therapy community adapted to the restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic through a significant expansion of virtual music therapy. A total of 145 new records, along with 5 records from the original review, were included in this scoping review. The papers were from North America (n=63), Europe (n=34), Asia (n=19), Oceania (n=16) and the rest created in international cooperation (n=18). Most texts described virtual music therapy in the form of synchronous video calls. We reported the characteristics of the records, the types of texts, the client groups to which virtual music therapy was delivered, and the platforms and equipment used. We identified research papers (n=103), other texts (n=44), study protocols and an evidence implementation report. We also described the challenges, facilitators, and barriers along with the music therapy methods. Most frequently, a combination of active and receptive methods was used, with an emphasis on listening, singing, and music-based relaxation or imagery methods. Virtual music therapy was delivered to a wide variety of clients, including those with various medical diagnoses, and mental health issues; caregivers; and health care workers. Virtual music therapy took place in clients' homes, hospitals, or educational settings.

The virtual music therapy field experienced significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic and developed into a distinct area of music therapy. This scoping review reports on a substantial body of relevant evidence, providing detailed insights into the nuances of virtual music therapy practice, which may remain useful even beyond pandemic restrictions. Future research is needed to examine the impact of virtual music therapy in the post-COVID-19 era and its potential as a complementary approach to face-to-face therapy.

OSF https://osf.io/tnw3c/.

Adolescents express diverse health information needs, without a single dominant theme, according to a recent study conducted in Geneva. Four cross-cutting areas emerge: mental health, sleep, self-perception, and sexuality. These interconnected dimensions have a lasting influence on overall health and life trajectories. During consultations, primary care physicians can proactively address these topics beyond the initial reason for the visit by adopting a developmental approach tailored to age, maturity, and psychosocial context. A youth-friendly posture, grounded in benevolence and confidentiality, strengthens the therapeutic alliance. Collaborating with parents and school professionals enhances the coherence and impact of health promotion efforts.

As recently as November 2024, the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) made note of the latest census data of U.S. physicians [1]. It was the conclusion of the NCHWA that the U.S. is presently home to a total of 933,788 "professionally active" physicians of whom 800,355 are "reported as patient care practicing physicians [1]." The NCHWA went on to project a "shortage of 187,130 full-time equivalent (FTE) physicians in 2037" as well as the possibility that "nonmetro areas will experience greater shortages of physicians than metro areas [1]." The NCHWA further estimates that "75 million people live in a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA)" and that "a total of 122 million people live in a mental health HPSA [1]." Note was also made of the reality that "the maldistribution of the health care workforce results in severe shortages in rural communities [1]." Seeking to address the extant challenges, a bipartisan group of members of the Senate Committee on Finance stepped into the breach [2]. Led by Sen. Ron L. Wyden (D-OR), it was the intent of the Senators to introduce legislation that will assist teaching hospitals in the training of more physicians by reforming Medicare's Graduate Medical Education (GME) rules [2]. In this Commentary, we review the evolution of the aforementioned draft legislation as well as assess the likelihood of the materialization thereof.

Evidence has highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened ongoing mental health inequity among population groups, such as those with pre-existing mental health problems. This is further compounded for ethnic minority communities. Research emphasises the importance of coping strategies in lessening the negative impacts of the pandemic; however, there is a scarcity of research among ethnic minority communities.

To explore the experiences of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic among ethnic minority individuals with existing mental health difficulties and to identify changes and continuity in coping strategies across two different timepoints. A secondary thematic analysis was conducted of interviews with ethnic minority individuals with mental health conditions, using a cross case comparison approach to analyse interviews conducted at two timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seeking social support, implementing new habits, and self-care approaches to mental health, as well as access to and experience of mental health services, were adaptive coping strategies used, further highlighting the importance of these strategies being culturally sensitive. Several expressed difficulties with access to mental health services.

Whilst the pandemic has ended, this research highlights that there is still a need for future studies exploring the experiences of ethnic minority groups, and focus should be placed on developing solutions that facilitate uptake among people with mental health problems from these communities. This should involve adaptive, culturally appropriate coping strategies and implementing modifications for effective mental health care for future public health crises or other social stressors.

Humanity is entering a new phase of social evolution with rapid digitalisation and increasing use of artificial intelligence in our lives. Psychiatric conditions also evolve with social changes. Like other branches of medicine, the management of psychiatric conditions is benefiting from recent growth in neuroscience, neuropsychology, genetics, imaging, and technological advances. Greater public awareness of mental health conditions is reducing stigma and barriers to care. On the other hand, as social structures change, idioms of human distress and help-seeking behaviours are evolving in ways that risk overwhelming healthcare systems. It will be a challenge for healthcare strategists to strike the right balance between funding care for common conditions (often symptoms of psychosocial distress) and care for those with severe mental disorders. The answer may lie in tapping into privately funded care for common disorders, rather than through publicly funded systems-which should prioritise care of the very unwell. However, there is a significant risk that this balance will be hard to achieve in the face of vocal expectations and consumer pressures. These gaps will likely continue to widen within and between societies, especially if recent trends of egocentric political philosophies take primacy.

In response to the global prevalence and societal impact of mental health problems, innovative healthcare policies have improved access to psychological therapy interventions. Yet, the indirect effects of these access policies on labour force participation gaps related to mental health problems remain unclear. This study assessed the relationship between one of the first major policies to improve access to psychological therapies, the NHS Talking Therapies service, and the economic activity of individuals with long-term mental health problems.

In this retrospective observational study, we derived a national sample of the English working-age population from Annual Population Survey data for the period 2015-2020 (N = 535068). Data included information on economic activity and health status, but not the use of healthcare services. The outcome of the study was labour force participation. The volume of appointments per referral received by NHS Talking Therapies services across healthcare commissioning regions in England was used to measure the regional supply of psychological therapy interventions. We used linear regression models, adjusting for a comprehensive set of individual and area-level controls, to estimate the association between the regional supply of psychological therapy interventions and labour force participation for those with and without a long-term mental health problem at the population level.

We find a labour force participation gap of 36% between individuals reporting long-term mental health problems and otherwise similar individuals with no reported mental health problems. Holding all else equal, we find an increase in the regional supply of NHS Talking Therapies of one appointment per referral is associated with a 0·92 percentage point (CI: 0·0018 - 0·0165) reduction in the probability of labour force participation gap. Results of sub-sample analyses suggest this association was driven by individuals who were not claiming benefits, aged between 45 and 65, and reported male gender.

Policymakers should consider the indirect effects of policies that improve access to psychological therapy interventions as a potential moderator of the labour force participation gap related to long-term mental health problems.

Parenting interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have largely focused on mothers, with limited attention to fathers, family relationship dynamics, and gender norms that influence caregiving. To address this gap, we co-designed Familia Bora, a multicomponent, father-inclusive parenting program for couples with young children. The program integrates gender-transformative content on parenting, couples' relationships, mental health, and gender equality to support both mothers and fathers and in turn promote early childhood development (ECD). This paper describes the protocol for a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation pilot cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating Familia Bora, delivered by community health workers (CHWs) in rural Tanzania.

Thirty-three villages in Misungwi and Sengerema districts in Mwanza Region, Tanzania were randomly assigned to receive the Familia Bora program or continue standard-of-care services. In each village, 12 couples with a child aged 0-24 months were randomly selected, for a total of 396 enrolled father-mother-child triads. The intervention will be delivered over 17 weekly sessions by trained CHWs in community group sessions with fathers and mothers participating together throughout. The primary outcome is maternal and paternal engagement in stimulation activities with their young child. Secondary outcomes include various measures of caregiving as reported by mothers and fathers, including parenting attitudes, discipline practices, couples' relationship quality, parenting stress, gender attitudes, and ECD. Analyses will follow an intention-to-treat approach using difference-in-differences to compare changes in outcome scores from baseline to endline between the intervention and control groups. A mixed-methods process evaluation will also be conducted alongside the RCT to assess program fidelity, quality, reach, adoption, potential mechanisms of change, and contextual factors influencing implementation. The process evaluation will draw on multiple data sources, including routine quantitative program monitoring tools, session observations, and longitudinal qualitative in-depth interviews with mothers, fathers, CHWs, and group leaders.

This study will generate robust evidence on the effects of a multicomponent, couples-based parenting intervention intentionally co-designed to engage both mothers and fathers in the Tanzanian cultural context. The evaluation will examine outcomes at a family-systems level, including impacts on mothers, fathers, couples, and young children. Findings will inform refinements to strengthen program delivery and lay the groundwork for a larger-scale effectiveness trial focused on evaluating effectiveness for ECD outcomes. If successful, Familia Bora has the potential to serve as a scalable model that jointly engages both mothers and fathers, supports parenting holistically by addressing couples' relationships, caregiver mental health, and gender equality, while building CHW capacity to deliver complex parenting programs. Overall, this study will advance the design and evaluation of father-inclusive, multicomponent parenting programs and inform policy, practice, and future research in Tanzania and similar low-resource settings.

ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT07025447. Prospectively registered on June 9, 2025.

Positive mental health refers to a state of well-being in which children and young people realize their own abilities, learn to cope with the everyday stresses of life, develop a positive sense of identity, learn to manage thoughts and emotions, build social relationships, and acquire education that fosters active citizenship. There is a need for a stronger evidence base regarding mental health promotion to address mental health issues in the young generation. To further help bridge this gap, this study compared and evaluated a universal health-promoting intervention facilitated by Student Health Care Teams (SHCTs) for Grade 12 students at two schools, and assessed its effects on students' self-reported well-being, resilience, strengths and difficulties, and mental health. Furthermore, the study aimed to qualitatively evaluate the intervention from students' and facilitators' perspectives.

This non-randomized feasibility study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design (MRC), which exploratory compared pre- and post-outcomes between boys and girls, and qualitative, deductive content analysis to make sense of the data. Comparisons between the experimental (n = 44) and control groups (n = 41) were made in terms of several self-reported measurements: the WHO-5, a short and generic global rating scale, which measures psychological well-being as the primary outcome; the Resilience Scale (RS); strength, which is measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ); and mental health, which is measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Furthermore, there were nine focus group interviews (42 students in 5 groups; 10 SHCT members in 4 groups).

Controlling for pre-intervention values (WHO-5, RS, HADsA, HADsD, and SDQ), the intervention increased the OR scores of the girls above post-intervention values on the WHO-5 (OR = 9.0; 1.4-56). The intervention did not improve the OR of higher scores in boys during follow-up (OR = 0.1; 0.09-1.4). Students and SHCTs generally found the intervention feasible.

Girls appeared to benefit more from the intervention than boys, suggesting a need for gender-specific approaches. Despite time demands, school health teams valued the model for supporting interprofessional, school-based health promotion. However, larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

The Michigan Fatigability Index (MIFI) is a patient reported outcome (PRO) measure that was developed in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or fibromyalgia (FM). The MIFI consists of three items banks and corresponding 6-item short forms that assess physical fatigability, mental fatigability, or emotional fatigability. This report details examination of convergent and known-groups validity (i.e., construct validity) of the MIFI short forms for MS and FM.

A US web-based cross-sectional survey was distributed to n = 2650 participants (FM n = 1242; MS n = 1408) who completed the MIFI measure and measures of fatigue intensity, severity, impact, fatigability, physical and cognitive functioning, anxiety, and depressive symptoms to establish convergent validity. Tests of known groups validity were based on disease severity scores for MS and FM and PROMIS measures of global physical and mental health scores, which were dichotomized into upper and lower tertile health groups.

Convergent validity of the MIFI short forms was supported by moderate to high correlations (r = > 0.60) with measures of similar constructs. Each MIFI fatigability short form was able to distinguish between lower and upper tertiles on global physical and mental health with large effects (η²>0.3), and between lower and upper disease severity subgroups with small to large effects, supporting known groups validity.

Results support the construct validity of the MIFI physical fatigability, mental fatigability, and emotional fatigability short forms for MS and FM. The MIFI measures, which are brief and developed specifically for use in clinical populations with high fatigue burden, should be considered for use in clinical and research applications.

Evidence-based parenting interventions (EBPIs) are among the most powerful interventions in child mental health, but they are often impacted by non-response and drop-out. Extensive research has demonstrated that measurement-based care (MBC), which involves routine collection of client-reported measures to track intervention progress and inform shared decision-making, is associated with improved outcomes in adult mental health populations, including reduced rates of deterioration and drop-out. Comparatively, there has been little research on MBC in child mental health. MBC is inherently more complex and nuanced in EBPIs for child mental health due to the need to collect and integrate data from multiple caregivers, therefore the application of MBC requires careful consideration. This paper presents key considerations and recommendations for the effective implementation of MBC in EBPIs, with a focus on the application of the Collect, Share, Act Model (Barber & Resnick, 2022). Key considerations and recommendations are provided for: (1) collecting multi-informant data, (2) selecting measures, (3) administering measures, (4) sharing and integrating multiple and discrepant perspectives, (5) examining trajectories of change in EBPIs, (6) using MBC data to optimise clinical decision making and intervention planning, (7) considering organisational factors that may affect implementation, and (8) using MBC with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. A new framework is provided, the Parenting CIRCLE of MBC, to guide how MBC data can inform clinical decision making to personalise EBPIs to the needs and preferences of families.