Music Is Life—Follow-Up Qualitative Study on Parental Experiences of Creative Music Therapy in the Neonatal Period

Friederike Barbara Haslbeck, Lars Schmidli, Hans Ulrich Bucher and Dirk Bassler
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Friederike Barbara Haslbeck: Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Lars Schmidli: Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Hans Ulrich Bucher: Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Dirk Bassler: Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: Developmental problems in extremely preterm (EP) infants and the associated longitudinal burden for their families are major health issues worldwide. Approaches to social-emotional support such as family-integrating Creative Music Therapy (CMT) are warranted. We aimed: (1) to explore parental perspectives on the use of CMT with EP infants in the neonatal hospitalization period and (2) to examine the possible longitudinal influence of CMT. A qualitative design was used to examine the perspective of six families from various backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews were carried out when the infants reached school age. We used an inductive–deductive thematic analysis to identify three main themes, each with three sub-themes: (1) the positive impact of CMT on the infants, the parents, and bonding; (2) the attitude toward CMT, from being open-minded to recommending it as complementary therapy; and (3) the experience of overall healthy infant development despite unique developmental delay issues. The findings elucidate the positive and formative impact of CMT on both infants and parents in the stressful NICU setting and beyond. CMT may empower positive transformation in the parents through individualized early nurturing musical interactions, capacity building, and positive reinforcement. Further research may help to identify and implement potentially modifiable factors for improving health care in this vulnerable group through early family-integrating, resource-based approaches such as CMT.

Keywords: extremely preterm infant; parents; creative music therapy; long-term development; daily life; qualitative interview; parental perspective; relaxation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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