Original Article
Parents’ musical engagement with their baby in the neonatal unit to support emerging parental identity: A grounded theory study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnn.2018.09.005Get rights and content

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Background

Parents' experience of a premature birth and neonatal unit (NU) admission with their baby is often negatively characterized by distress, trauma, depression, separation, a lack of control, adapting to risk, oscillation between hope and hopelessness, feelings of exclusion and attempting to preserve the family unit (Obeidat et al., 2009; Swartz, 2005; Yaman and Altay, 2015). Furthermore, early intervention in the NU that targets parental trauma and supports sensitive and responsive parenting has

Study context

This was a multi-site study, involving two different NU facilities of the one broader health organisation. Five parents were recruited from one facility and four parents from a second facility. While the nurseries differed in size and level of care, the model of care and the music therapy programs were consistent across the two facilities (as described in supplementary 1 material) and were both delivered by the same music therapist (first author). This offered a similar context of clinical

Results and discussion

The main findings of this research revolved around a central category that highlighted the influence of the baby in shaping parental identity and will be shared and discussed below. Central theoretical categories and conditions are represented through the use of inverted commas throughout.

Conclusion

These results illustrate the potential of using music therapy to support parents in a NU, and contributed new and nuanced understandings of the centrality of ‘their baby's response’ during musical interactions on these parents' emerging sense of parental identity. This research aligns with the current culture of parentally inclusive and empowering neonatal practice, which is focused on collaborating with parents in the care of their baby, to support the critical parent-infant relationship.

Conflicts of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Funding

This work received funding through an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and an additional Writing- Up grant through The University of Melbourne.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to firstly acknowledge and thank each of the parents involved in this study, who so generously and courageously shared their experiences and stories across this study. Secondly, thank you to Emma Yeomans and Nicole Lloyd Nyunja for your support in the recruitment and consent stages of this research project.

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