Rapid Effects Of Neonatal Music Therapy Combined With Kangaroo Care On Prematurely-Born Infants - Article Example

Purpose Infants who are born pre-term are at increased risk of developing developmental and cognitive problems. The present study analyses the combined effect, dual therapy (DT), of skin-to-skin contact with the infant or Kangaroo care (KC) and the influence of music therapy (MT) on the physiological responses of the infants as compared to Kangaroo care alone. The infants along with their parents were enrolled in the study and the changes in physiological measures such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiration was measured.

The results were finalized on the basis of the above values as well as from the self-report given by the parents. Participants The study which was carried out in the Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland enrolled 61 families whose children were born with a gestational age of less than 37 weeks. The design of the study was approved by the hospital’s ethics committee and the parents were given both written and oral information about the study. The study also matched the study infants with others in the ward who received the normal standard care.

The gestational age, birth weight, gender, and age in weeks were collected for both the study and the matched normal pair. And prior to start of the study the main problems of the enrolled infants were noted. Method Specific equipments were used to measure the various physiological parameters. The initial measurement was taken both before the start of the therapy and after it was over. The measurement was taken twice during the therapy at 10 and 20 minutes and after the therapy was concluded.

While the infants were held by their parents during the therapy process as in KC, they were kept in resting position before and after the therapy. A music therapist provided the MT for 20 minutes and the dual and control therapies were given thrice a week alternatively. After the study all the parents were asked to complete a questionnaire describing their experience and the reaction of their infants to each therapy method. The results were analyzed using the hierarchical linear modeling method, followed by estimation and computation using SPSS.

Results Significant decrease in pulse was observed after the DT therapy compared to that for KC. A calming effect was observed for the respiration rate measured and the oxygen saturation increased towards the end of both therapy sessions. The DT showed a significant lowering of blood pressure towards the end than the KC and the infants showed a mean weight increase of 27.6g/ day which was not different from that of the paired normal infants. The infants also showed changes in their eye movement and facial expressions during the DT, while a majority of the infants fell asleep during KC.

39% of parents also found a relaxing experience during the DT both for them as well as their infants, while 16% did not find any difference and one parent found that KC had a more calming effect on the child. Discussion Overall the study found that the combined effects of KC and MT on the infants were more rapid and effective with every therapy session as the physiological measurements were more positive as also shown by other studies. Even the parents were calmer during the DT sessions. No significant differences were observed in growth between infants receiving the therapy and those who received the standard care in the hospital.

The major study limitations being the increased time difference between the measurement of physiological parameters, the state of hunger of the infants, presence of noise in the room, and the absence of randomization and blinding. Further studies can be carried out with live and recorded music and by eliminating the above limitations. Reference Teckenberg-Jansson, P., Huotilainen, M., Polkki, T., Lipsanen, J., & A. Jarvenpaa. (2011). Rapid effects of neonatal music therapy combined with Kangaroo care on prematurely born infants.

Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 20(1): 22-42.