Impact of the Healing in Harmony program on women's mental health in a rural area in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: To assess whether Healing in Harmony (HiH), a form of music therapy, improved women's mental health following conflict-related trauma and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Methods: This study used a step-wedged design and included 167 women, who completed up to two pre-tests, a post-test, and up to two follow-up interviews at 3 and 6 months after completing the program. The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist was used to measure anxiety and depression.