Music Therapy With Premature Infants and Their Caregivers in Colombia – A Mixed Methods Pilot Study Including a Randomized Trial

Authors

  • Mark Ettenberger Anglia Ruskin University; Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • Helen Odell-Miller Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
  • Cátherine Rojas Cárdenas Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia
  • Sergio Torres Serrano Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia
  • Mike Parker Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • Sandra Milena Camargo Llanos Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v14i2.756

Keywords:

Music therapy, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), randomized trial, preterm infants, Colombia, South America

Abstract

This article reports the results of a three-arm mixed methods pilot study of music therapy with premature infants and their caregivers in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Bogotá, Colombia. The study included 19 medically stable babies born between the 30th and 37th week of gestation and their caregivers. Two intervention groups were compared with a control group.

The objectives were to find out whether music therapy could help the neonates to stabilize their physiological states and help mothers to reduce anxiety and strengthen the relationship with their baby.

The data collection included the babies´ weight gain, heart rate, oxygen saturation, size, cephalic perimeter and length of hospitalization. Mothers filled out the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-C) and the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) before the first and after the last intervention. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data obtained through questionnaires.

A trend towards an increased weight gain for both intervention groups and a shorter length of hospitalization for one of the intervention groups was noticed. Anxiety and bonding in mothers appears not to follow linear trends, as new challenges arise for parents at different stages during hospitalization. Mothers stated that music therapy was helpful for them, their baby and their relationship with the baby. Mothers across the groups think that music therapy should be a regular offer in the NICU and that music therapy helps to humanize the NICU environment.

Author Biographies

Mark Ettenberger, Anglia Ruskin University; Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Mark Ettenberger is a trained Ethno-Music Therapist from Austria (Institute for Ethno-Music Therapy) and a PhD student in Music Therapy at Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom. He trained as a Neonatal Music Therapist at the Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine, USA (First Sounds: Rhythm, Breath & Lullaby training program) and holds a MA in Peace and Development Studies, UNESCO-Chair of Philosophy for Peace, University Jaume I, Spain.In Colombia, he is currently teaching at the MA in Music Therapy at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and works as a Neonatal Music Therapist at the Centro Policlínico del Olaya. He is the director of SONO – Centro de Musicoterapia and co-founder of Música & Salud – Programas de Musicoterapia.

Helen Odell-Miller, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK

Professor of Music Therapy, the Director of the Music for Health Research Centre, and the Head of therapies at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Cátherine Rojas Cárdenas, Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia

Medical Coordinator of the Department of Neonatology at the Centro Policlínico del Olaya and the Scientific Consultant for Neonatology at Salud Total EPS, Bogotá, Colombia.        

Sergio Torres Serrano, Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia

Paediatrician and Neonatologist at the Department of Neonatology, Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia.

Mike Parker, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Medical Statistician in the Postgraduate Medical Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, United Kingdom.

Sandra Milena Camargo Llanos, Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia

Occupational Therapist at the Department of Neonatology, Centro Policlínico del Olaya, Bogotá, Colombia.

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Published

2014-06-29

How to Cite

Ettenberger, M., Odell-Miller, H., Cárdenas, C. R., Serrano, S. T., Parker, M., & Camargo Llanos, S. M. (2014). Music Therapy With Premature Infants and Their Caregivers in Colombia – A Mixed Methods Pilot Study Including a Randomized Trial. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v14i2.756

Issue

Section

Research