The efficacy of cognitive and behavioral interventions upon music performance anxiety: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Cognitive and behavioral interventions are widely used in dealing with anxiety problems. Many musicians face high anxiety levels when they have to perform in front of an audience, thus requiring efficient interventions. Studies investigating interventions for music performance anxiety (MPA) are highly heterogeneous, making it difficult to implement a meta-analytic analysis for all the intervention types investigated. However, there are several studies that investigate the effects of cognitive and behavioral interventions. Thus, the main aim of our study was to investigate the efficacy of cognitive and behavioral interventions in managing MPA symptoms in musicians. We reviewed 14 studies which included musicians ( N = 392) who were confronted with high/dysfunctional levels of MPA. Overall, findings indicated a positive medium effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.53). We also tested the influence of several moderators related to intervention characteristics (e.g., type of intervention, type of control group, selection criteria) or participant characteristics (age, percentage of women). Although the differences we found were not statistically significant, the trend of the results was in line with previous research. Theoretical and practical implications for MPA are further discussed.