The following is a summary of “Systematic Review on Music Interventions during Pregnancy in Favor of the Well-being of Mothers and Eventually Their Offspring,” published in the June 2024 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology by Maul et al.
Maternal mental health profoundly influences maternal well-being, the developmental trajectories of fetal brain structures, and subsequent motor and cognitive abilities extending into adulthood. This systematic review aimed to identify specific characteristics of music interventions that enhance validated maternal outcomes.
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews investigating music interventions during pregnancy were comprehensively searched from inception to December 2023 using databases such as MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and WEB OF SCIENCE.
Study Eligibility Criteria: Using COVIDENCE, two reviewers screened RCTs that included three or more music interventions during pregnancy, focusing on outcomes such as Perceived Stress Scales (PSS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventories (STAI), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scales (EPDS), or blood pressure (BP).
The revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (RoB2), a checklist to assess trustworthiness in RCTs (TRACT), and reversed Cohen’s d were utilized for methodological appraisal. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022299950).
Of the 251 identified records, 14 RCTs comprising 2,375 pregnancies met the inclusion criteria. Music interventions ranged widely, with sessions varying from 3 to 84, utilizing patient-selected or pre-selected music for 10 to 60 minutes per session. Results showed significant reductions in PSS in 2 out of 4 studies, STAI in 8 out of 9, EPDS in 3 out of 4, and BP in 3 out of 4. The risk of bias was rated as “high” in 5 studies and “with concerns” in 9 studies. Stratifying Cohen’s d indicated substantial effects on BP and maternal anxiety in a significant proportion of participants.
Music interventions consistently improved maternal stress resilience, with effectiveness influenced more by session frequency and empathetic delivery than specific musical content. Future research should explore the potential long-term benefits of postnatal development and offspring skills, particularly in contexts of global challenges like pandemics, conflicts, and natural disasters, aiming to interrupt potential epigenetic cycles.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589933324001265
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