Evidence · Randomised trial
Creative Music Therapy with Premature Infants and Their Parents: A Mixed-Method Pilot Study on Parents' Anxiety, Stress and Depressive Symptoms and Parent-Infant Attachment.
- Allied health
- Comfort and nursing care
- Developmental care and positioning
- Families and professional practice
- Family-integrated care
- Nursing
- Wellbeing
This paper is from 2020, more than five years ago. Newer evidence may have been published since.
Summary
This mixed-methods pilot study evaluated creative music therapy for parents of premature infants in the NICU, with 16 parent couples randomly allocated to music therapy or control. It measured parental anxiety, depressive symptoms, NICU-related stress and parent-infant attachment at three time points up to two weeks after discharge. Anxiety and depressive symptoms reduced and attachment increased in the music therapy group, while stress rose in controls. Qualitative interviews suggested music therapy supported parent-infant interaction and bonding, and the authors call for a larger powered study.
Summary written for NICUlearn. Always read the original.
- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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