The effect of music therapy interventions with premature infants on their parents' stress levels

The aim of this series of case studies is to determine whether music therapy interventions are effective in decreasing perceived stress levels in parents of premature infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The principal investigator administered the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU) and a Music Therapy Questionnaire prior to and following the three-week intervention period or upon discharge, whichever came first to all participants (N=6). During the intervention period, the music therapists provided the participants with at least one Parent Training session, and provided at least two Multimodal Stimulation sessions to their respective premature infants. Results determined that music therapy was effective in decreasing perceived parental stress levels in the Parental Role Alterations section of the PSS: NICU. However, results were inconclusive for the other two sections: Environment and Infant Appearance of the PSS: NICU. Participants indicated that music therapy helped their stress levels in all three sections. In addition, Music Therapy Questionnaire posttests showed that all participants remained, increased or started using music activities with their infants during their visits.