Music therapy does not improve parent-infant bonding among preterm infants

Reference

Ghetti CM, Gaden TS, Bieleninik L, et al. Effect of music therapy on parent-infant bonding among infants born preterm. A randomized trial. JAMA Network Open 2023;6(5):e2315750.

Synopsis

Parent-infant bonding is important for long-term infant health and may be disturbed or delayed by preterm birth. These investigators recruited parent-infant pairs from neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Argentina, Colombia, Israel, Norway, and Poland. Eligibility criteria included preterm infants born less than 35 weeks' gestational age who were likely to be hospitalized a minimum of 2 weeks from inclusion but were otherwise medically stable. Study participants (N = 206 infants with 206 mothers) randomly received assignment (concealed allocation) to either music therapy (MT) or standard care. MT consisted of parent-led infant-directed singing, in which infants communicated specific behavior activity in response to their parent's use of voice, with parents then directing their singing to infant responses. A certified music therapist collaborated with parents to interpret infant communication cues. The MT group received 3 individual MT sessions per week throughout hospitalization, each lasting approximately 30 minutes, up to a maximum of 27 sessions. Before discharge, participants were randomized a second time (concealed allocation assignment) to either 7 individual MT sessions within the first 6 months after discharge or to standard care. Multiple validated scoring tools assessed the primary outcome of parent-infant bonding, as well as multiple secondary outcomes including maternal depressive symptoms, parental anxiety and stress, infant development, and rehospitalization during the first year of life. Complete follow-up occurred for 95% of parent-infant pairs at 6 months’ corrected age, and for 88% at 12 months’ corrected age. Using intention-to-treat analysis, no significant differences occurred between the MT groups and the standard care groups for any of the primary or secondary outcomes.