The Effect of Music Therapy on Neuroticism, Sleep Quality, and Attention among Young Adults with High Screen Time

High non-productive screen time has been identified as a major contributor to emotional instability, disturbed sleep, and impaired attention especially in young adults. Music therapy, specifically Raga based Hindustani classical music has proven to be a promising, cost-effective and non-pharmacological approach to address these issues. This study assessed whether a structured raga-based music therapy programme could meaningfully reduce neuroticism and improve sleep quality and attention in young adults with high non-productive screen time. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design was used. There were a hundred young adults in study. These were further divided into 2 groups – experimental (n=50) and control (n=50), through purposive sampling. The experimental group attended the structured Hindustani raga based music therapy module (Bhupali, Desh, Kafi, Bageshree, Yaman) for five days per week for four weeks, delivered via Google Meet. Outcomes were measured by a range of tools such as NEO Five-Factor Inventory- Neuroticism subscale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Attention Control Scale (ACS). The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and Kruskal–Wallis test were used for within-group and between-group analyses, respectively. The experimental group showed meaningful improvements across all three outcomes, i.e. neuroticism (Z = −6.183, p < .001, r = .874), sleep quality (Z = −6.263, p < .001, r = .886), and attention (Z = −6.198, p < .001, r = .877), all reflecting significant and large effect sizes. The control group showed no meaningful changes in neuroticism or attention, however a minor sleep improvement observed in that group was attributed to assessment-induced behavioral change. An exploratory finding also indicated a significant reduction in social media use within the experimental group. Hindustani Raga-based music therapy appears to be an effective intervention for improving emotional stability, sleep quality and attention among young adults struggling with digital overuse. These findings carry direct relevance for psychologists, counselors, and educational wellness programmes.