Music and Motherhood: Europe

Partnership with The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe

Following our past and ongoing research around group singing interventions for postpartum depression in the UK, we also want to know how such an intervention may need to be adapted to benefit women in other countries and different cultural contexts.

This project therefore focuses on exploring the feasibility of implementation and perceived impact of a 10-week group singing intervention for new mothers in Romania, Denmark and Italy eliciting signs of postpartum depression.

Data was collected from up to 48 women with a score ≥10 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) participating in a 10-week group singing intervention, as well as a range of project stakeholders. We looked at:

1. Feasibility of implementation: assessed through qualitative data (e.g., focus groups, interviews) and quantitative data (e.g., the Feasibility of Intervention Measure [FIM]).
2. Perceived impact: assessed through participant surveys that include mental health measures from singing intervention participants (at weeks 1, 6, 10) and focus groups.

Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. Framework method and thematic analysis were used to analyse qualitative data. We hope the outputs and learnings from this trailblazing programme enable other countries to adapt and implement interventions globally.

This work builds on our other studies, Music and Motherhood and SHAPER (Melodies for Mums).

Outputs

Research protocol

Scalability of a singing-based intervention for postpartum depression in Denmark and Romania: protocol for a single-arm feasibility study

Research report

Implementing a singing-based intervention for postpartum depression in Denmark and Romania: a brief research report

Cluj Cultural Centre in Romania also created a video about the project.

The project, which concluded in December 2023, was selected for the UN LIVE’s Culture for Impact 2023 list.