Creative Music Therapy and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Pre-term Infants at 2 Years: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Friederike Barbara Haslbeck, Hans Ulrich Bucher, Dirk Bassler, Cornelia Hagmann, Giancarlo Natalucci, Friederike Barbara Haslbeck, Hans Ulrich Bucher, Dirk Bassler, Cornelia Hagmann, Giancarlo Natalucci

Abstract

Impaired neurodevelopment is increasingly recognized as a major health issue in children born prematurely. Creative music therapy (CMT) intends to prevent and or reduce neurobehavioral deficits in pre-term infants using musical stimulation and socio-emotional co-regulation. We conducted a randomized, clinical pilot CMT trial to test feasibility and to examine long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in pre-term infants (NCT02434224: https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT02434224). Eighty-two pre-term infants were randomized either to CMT or standard care. A specially trained music therapist provided family-integrating CMT via infant-directed singing during hospitalization. Fifty-six infants underwent follow-up at 2 years of corrected age. No significant beneficial nor adverse effects of CMT were identified in routine clinical neurodevelopmental measures (Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and the standardized neurological examination). Longer term follow-up (5 years) and larger future studies are recommended to elucidate possible long-term effects of music in relation to more sensitive outcomes including executive function, detailed language processing and social-emotional development.

Keywords: Bayley-III; creative music therapy; neurodevelopment; neurological exam; outcome; pre-maturity; randomized controlled trial.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2021 Haslbeck, Bucher, Bassler, Hagmann and Natalucci.

Figures

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Figure 1
Flow diagram.

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