Group Drumming Intervention for Maltreated School

Many emotionally disturbed children who have been maltreated and are legally 12 separated from their parents or primary caregivers live in group homes and receive compulsory 13 education. Such institutions provide various special intervention programs. Taiko, a Japanese style 14 of group drumming, is one such program because playing drums in a group may improve 15 children’s emotional well-being. However, evidence for its efficacy has not been well established at 16 the biological level. In this study, we measured salivary levels of oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide 17 associated with social memory and communication, in three conditions (recital, practice, and free 18 sessions) in four classes of school-aged children. Following the sessions, OT concentrations showed 19 changes in various degrees and directions (no change, increases, or decreases). However, the mean 20 OT concentration changes after each session increased, ranging from 112% to 165%. Plasma OT 21 concentrations were equally sensitive to drum playing in school-aged boys and girls. However, the 22 difference between practice and free play sessions was only significant among elementary school 23 boys aged 8-12 years. The results suggest that younger boys are most responsive to this type of 24 educational music intervention. 25