Breathe Melodies for Mums

Research results: Benefits of singing for PND 

The research showed that singing can have multiple benefits: 

• For mums with moderate-severe symptoms of PND, the group singing programme led to significantly faster recovery than creative play or care as normal. After just six weeks of singing, these mums had experienced a decrease of nearly 35% in their symptoms. 65% no longer had moderate-severe symptoms.  
• Group singing is linked with greater increases in perceived mother-baby closeness in comparison to other social interactions.  
• Group singing with other mums is associated with greater decreases in cortisol, a stress hormone, than other social interactions.  
• Singing to babies daily is linked with fewer symptoms of PND as well as enhanced wellbeing and self-esteem. 

Women reported that singing supported them in five unique ways, which help to explain the results above. It provided:

• An authentic, inclusive, and social creative activity.
• A way to calm their baby.
• Me-time that allowed them to be immersed in an activity.
• A sense of achievement and identity.
• Enhanced feelings of closeness with their baby.

Research to practice 

Breathe’s 2017 Lambeth-based Breathe Melodies for Mums programme was the first ever translation of this research into practice. It uses the same structure and set-up for the singing groups that was developed in the original research. Since 2017, Breathe Melodies for Mums has expanded across the UK. It is now offered in six- and ten-week programmes, both in-person and online. Breathe Melodies for Mums has continued to further evidence the benefits of singing on PND symptoms.

Ongoing research  

Breathe Melodies for Mums is currently being delivered as part of a new research study funded by Wellcome Trust: The Scaling-Up Health-Arts Programmes: Implementation and Effectiveness Research – Postnatal Depression (SHAPER-PND) study. This research will involve 200 mothers and their babies, investigating how group singing can support mental and social health as well as stress. This is the largest-scale research to date on singing and PND.  Results are due to be published Autumn 2024.

Preceding this and during the pandemic, we delivered sessions online as part of the SHAPER-PNDO (Online) study, looking at how online group singing can support mental health during times of social isolation.  Initial results on feasibility, clinical efficacy and well-being outcomes were published in 2023, with further qualitative findings due to be published in 2024.

Current Research Protocols

Bind, R.H., Estevao, C., Fancourt, D. et al. Online singing interventions for postnatal depression in times of social isolation: a feasibility study protocol for the SHAPER-PNDO single-arm trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud 8, 148 (2022). Read it here.

Estevao C, Bind R, Fancourt D, et al. SHAPER-PND trial: clinical effectiveness protocol of a community singing intervention for postnatal depression. BMJ Open 2021;11:e052133. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052133. Read it here.

Warran K, Smith C, Ugron H, et al. Scalability of a singing-based intervention for postpartum depression in Denmark and Romania: protocol for a single-arm feasibility study. BMJ Open 2022;12:e063420. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063420 . Read it here.

Published Research

Bind, R.H., Sawyer, K., Hazelgrove, K. et al. Feasibility, clinical efficacy, and well-being outcomes of an online singing intervention for postnatal depression in the UK: SHAPER-PNDO, a single-arm clinical trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud 9, 131 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-023-01360-9. Read it here.

Fancourt, D., & Perkins, R. (2018). Effect of singing interventions on symptoms of postnatal depression: Three-arm randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 212(2), 119-121. doi:10.1192/bjp.2017.29. Read it here.

References

Fancourt D & Perkins R (2019), Creative interventions for symptoms of postnatal depression: a process evaluation of implementation, Arts & Health, 11, 38-53 [DOI]. 

Fancourt D & Perkins R (2018), Does attending community music interventions lead to changes in wider musical behaviours? The effect of mother-infant singing classes on musical behaviours amongst mothers with symptoms of postnatal depression, Psychology of Music, 47, 132-143 [DOI]. 

Fancourt D & Perkins R (2018), Could listening to music during pregnancy be protective against postnatal depression and poor wellbeing post birth? Longitudinal associations from a preliminary prospective cohort study, BMJ Open, 8 (e021251), 1-8 [DOI]. 

Fancourt D & Perkins R (2018), The effect of singing interventions on symptoms of postnatal depression: a three-arm randomised controlled trial, British Journal of Psychiatry, 212, 119-121 [DOI]. 

Fancourt D & Perkins R (2018), Maternal engagement with music up to nine months post-birth: findings from a cross-sectional study in England, Psychology of Music, 46, 238-251 [DOI]. 

Fancourt D & Perkins R (2018), Singing for mother-infant bonding: the effects of mother-infant singing on emotional closeness, affect and anxiety, Music & Science, 1 [DOI]. 

Fancourt D & Perkins R (2017), Associations between singing to babies and symptoms of postnatal depression, wellbeing, self-esteem and mother-infant bond, Public Health, 145, 149-152 [DOI]. 

Perkins R, Yorke S, & Fancourt D (2018), Learning to facilitate arts-in-health programmes: a case study of musicians facilitating creative interventions for mothers with symptoms of postnatal depression, International Journal of Music Education, 36, 644-658 [DOI]. 

Perkins R, Yorke S, & Fancourt D (2018), How group singing facilitates recovery from the symptoms of postnatal depression: A comparative qualitative study, BMC Psychology, 6 (41), 1-12 [DOI].