International group singing study with people with Parkinson's

We hypothesised that there would be no changes in health-related quality of life measures (PDQ-39) and mental well-being measures (DASS) after the six-month group singing intervention. We included 95 people living with a confirmed diagnosis of Parkinson's from three countries (Australia, South Korea and United Kingdom). MANOVA showed statistically significant multivariate effects of Time, Country, Time by Country and Time by Gender interactions on QoL. Follow-up univariate ANOVAs revealed main effects of Time on Stigma and Social Support domains of QoL; both improved. Further, MANOVA revealed a multivariate effect of Time on mental well-being; anxiety and stress significantly decreased from pre-test to post-test. This first international singing study with people with Parkinson’s demonstrated that group singing enhanced some aspects of quality of life and mental well-being. Participating in a weekly group singing program for a 6-month period positively impacted on social support, and feeling stigmatized, as well as reductions in anxiety and stress. The findings are encouraging and warrant further research.