Classical and Heavy Metal Music Effects on Stress Among Medical Students

NCT07848503 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: REC-23-02-18-16-S
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 300
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study examined how listening to classical music compared with heavy metal music affected perceived stress, state anxiety, and pulse rate among medical students at the University of Sharjah. A total of 300 medical students aged 19-24 years participated. Participants were allocated to listen to either classical music or heavy metal music for 2 minutes and 47 seconds. Stress, anxiety, and pulse rate were assessed immediately before and after listening to the assigned music. The study compared changes in these measures between the two music groups.

Conditions

Effects of Classical and Heavy Metal Music on Stress, Anxiety, and Pulse Rate Among Medical Students

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Perceived stress measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

  Immediately before and immediately after the 2-minute 47-second music intervention

• State anxiety measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y1)

  Immediately before and immediately after the 2-minute 47-second music intervention

• Pulse rate

  Immediately before and immediately after the 2-minute 47-second music intervention

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Correlation between changes in perceived stress and pulse rate

  Immediately before and immediately after the 2-minute 47-second music intervention

Study Arms (2)

Classical Music

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm listened to Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2, through sound-isolating headphones for 2 minutes and 47 seconds while blindfolded to minimize visual distraction.

Behavioral: Classical Music

Heavy Metal Music

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm listened to "Wrath" by Jacob Lizotte through sound-isolating headphones for 2 minutes and 47 seconds while blindfolded to minimize visual distraction.

Behavioral: Heavy Metal Music

Interventions

Classical Music BEHAVIORAL

Listening to Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2, for 2 minutes and 47 seconds.

Classical Music

Heavy Metal Music BEHAVIORAL

Listening to "Wrath" by Jacob Lizotte for 2 minutes and 47 seconds.

Heavy Metal Music

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Medical students enrolled in Years 1-5 at the University of Sharjah College of Medicine.
• Age 19-24 years.
• Provided informed consent to participate.
• Normal hearing.

You may not qualify if:

• History of cardiovascular disease or arrhythmia.
• Chronic illness affecting resting heart rate.
• Current use of medications that may affect heart rate or stress, including beta-blockers or antidepressants.
• Diagnosed psychiatric disorders, including anxiety or depression.
• Caffeine consumption on the day of testing.
• Vigorous exercise within the previous 2-3 hours.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Sharjah: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Sharjah

Sharjah city, Emirate of Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 23, 2026
• First Posted: September 30, 2026
• Study Start: February 28, 2023
• Primary Completion: March 21, 2023
• Study Completion: March 21, 2023
• Last Updated: September 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: Beginning at the time of publication of the primary study results and available for at least 5 years thereafter.
• Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data will be available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Requests will be reviewed by the study investigators, and data will be provided when the proposed use is consistent with applicable ethical and institutional requirements.

Locations

AE (1)