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Correspondence: Rosie Perkins, Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BS, UK. Email: [email protected]
Postnatal depression (PND) is characterised by both psychological and behavioural changes including fatigue, irritability, disturbance of appetite, insomnia and anhedonia, with 25% of women affected experiencing symptoms lasting over a year. 1 There are several treatment models available to women with symptoms of PND, including psychotherapy and antidepressants, but there are challenges associated with each. 1 Consequently, there is a need to identify further ways of supporting the mental health of new mothers. Given that studies examining predictors of PND have identified psychosocial factors such as daily hassles, parenting stress, chronic strain and both perceived and received social support, 2 group interventions that simultaneously relax mothers and enhance their support networks could be of value. In particular, there is theoretical research suggesting that singing could support new mothers: singing is widely practised in cultures around the world, with anthropological theories that singing even evolved with the aim of reassuring infants, promoting mother–infant bonding and supporting infant neurological development. 3 Further, there have been a number of studies in different populations showing the benefits of singing for mental health in older adults, 4,5 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 6 and people with dementia. 7 Yet to date, there have been no controlled studies exploring the effect of singing on mental health in new mothers; specifically on symptoms of PND. Therefore, this three-arm parallel-group randomised controlled trial explored the impact of a 10-week community singing programme for mothers experiencing symptoms of PND and their babies compared with a comparison group undertaking a 10-week programme of community play activities and a control non-intervention group (trial registration: NCT02526407).
Method
Participants were adult women with babies up to 40 weeks post-birth who displayed symptoms of PND, indicated with a score of ≥ 10 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; a 10-item self-report measure scored from 0 to 30 with ≥ 10 indicative of possible depression and higher scores indicating more severe depression). 8 They were randomised using SPSS with a 1:1:1 allocation using random block sizes of six, stratified by age of their child and the severity of their EPDS score. Women were recruited through...