The influence of maternal singing on well-being, postpartum depression and bonding

Autor/inn/en	Wulff, Verena; Hepp, Philip; Wolf, Oliver T.; Fehm, Tanja; Schaal, Nora K.
Titel	The influence of maternal singing on well-being, postpartum depression and bonding - A randomised, controlled trial. Gefälligkeitsübersetzung: Der Einfluss von mütterlichem Gesang auf Wohlbefinden, postpartale Depression und Bindung - eine randomisierte, kontrollierte Studie.
Quelle	In: BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 21 (2021) 1, 15 S. PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1471-2393
DOI	10.1186/s12884-021-03933-z
Schlagwörter	Bindungsverhalten; Mutter-Kind-Beziehung; Postnatale Depression; Säugling; Mutter; Therapie; Singen (Mus); Lebensphase; Ergebnis; Intervention
Abstract	Background: Postpartum depression is fairly common in new mothers and moreover associated with impaired bonding and poor maternal well-being. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of a mother-infant singing intervention within the first three months after birth on maternal well-being, depressive symptoms and bonding. Methods: 120 women who were recruited at the maternity ward at the University Clinic in Dusseldorf took part in this prospective, randomized-controlled study. Beside the baseline measurement 1-3 days after childbirth, depressive symptoms, maternal well-being and mother-infant bonding were evaluated with questionnaires before (two weeks after birth) and after (twelve weeks after birth) the intervention took place. The experimental group (n = 59) participated in several singing intervention sessions while the control group (n = 61) did not. In the intervention group, salivary cortisol as well as attachment and mood were assessed immediately before and after the singing sessions. Results: The participants of the intervention group showed a significant reduction of cortisol (p = .023) and an improvement of attachment and mood from start to end of the intervention session (all p (= .008). However, no prolonged effects were revealed beyond the intervention sessions as the two groups did not differ regarding the alterations of the primary outcomes postpartum depression (interaction effect p = .187) and postpartum bonding (interaction effect p = .188) in the 10-week period from two up to twelve weeks after childbirth (all p ) .05). Additional analyses of singing habits at home in both groups, revealed that only in the singing group more frequent singing was associated with less anxiety and more well-being of the mother. Conclusion: Singing towards the infant seems to have positive immediate effects on the well-being of new mothers (on subjective variables as well as physiological measurements). However, the intervention did not lead to more long-lasting positive effects, although several limitations should be considered. (ZPID).
Erfasst von	Leibniz-Institut für Psychologie, Trier
Update	2025/1