Music and Motherhood

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects about one in seven women globally. There is a long history showing the benefits of singing for maternal mental health, and promising research has identified the clinical effectiveness of group singing and play. This research project interrogated how a clinically proven arts-for-health intervention in the UK, which used singing groups to reduce PPD, was adaptable to different cultural contexts. This project was initiated by WHO Europe and became part of the Lab’s research profile after its inauguration in 2023. 

Scope

The Music and Motherhood intervention was implemented in Denmark, Romania, and Italy, accounting for available infrastructures and local cultural contexts. This is a trailblazing programme that responds to increasing interest in scaling effective arts interventions as part of public health strategies. 

The Music and Motherhood project launched in April 2021 and concluded in December 2023. It was selected for the UN LIVE’s Culture for Impact 2023 list.

Insights and Deliverables

The study demonstrated that an evidence-based arts and health intervention can be adapted in culturally sensitive ways to support populations beyond the original context for which it was developed. 

The project team concluded the study in 2023. During this time, the team published:

• A study protocol (2022) for the 10-week group singing intervention model 
• A research report (2023) outlining the key factors that influenced the adaptation and implementation of the singing programme

A thinking tool based on study findings is in progress and is anticipated to be published in June 2024. The tool will outline how to successfully adapt and implement arts and health interventions in new contexts.

Project Team

The project team included Lab Founding Co-Director Nils Fietje, in his role as technical officer within the WHO Europe’s Behavioural and Cultural Insights unit; researchers from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health based in the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London; project experts from Breathe Arts Health Research; and the national ethics committees of Denmark and Romania.

Support for this project was provided by the Nordic Culture Fund, Wellcome Trust, Region Midtjylland, and Cluj Cultural Centre.

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