Effect of Carnatic Music and Pranayama on Depression and Resilience in Mild Depressives

Depression is a serious psychological problem and carries with it a high cost in terms of relationship problems, family suffering and lost work productivity. But those suffering from depression are often ignored. The present study is an attempt to find out the effect of Carnatic music and Pranayama on reducing depression and improving resilience in mild depressives. For the study, 132 mild depressive persons from a clinic in Thrissur, Kerala, were selected. Out of that 66 were in the experimental group and 66 in the control group. The experimental group was given standard care plus Music therapy and Pranayama. While the control group was given only standard care. Intervention lasted for 45 minutes and was given twice a week for one and a half months which makes a total of 12 sessions. The level of depression and resilience was measured using Beck's Depression Inventory and Annalakshmi Resilience Scale prior to the intervention in both the groups. Their level of depression and resilience was again measured after the intervention period in both the groups. The comparison of the pre- intervention scores and post intervention scores showed that the effect of carnatic music and pranayama on their depression and resilience level is significant. The findings also suggest that there is no direct correlation between depression and resilience in the present study sample.