Communicative Musicality of mother-preterm infant dyads in the Neonatal ICU: A microanalysis study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the vocalization of mothers of preterm infants admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), especially to understand how elements of musicality presented themselves in speech and singing vocalizations. A multiple case study design was used, involving 4 mother-infant dyads, as well as the microanalysis of one observation involving two conditions (free interaction and singing). The results reveal an intimate connection between maternal vocalization and infant behavior so that communicative musicality is built from an early age. Furthermore, findings show the close relationship between maternal vocalizations and maternal touch, which was important in encouraging speech and in better sustaining singing. Moreover, singing vocalizations proved to be important in protecting the mother-infant interaction from noise intrusions in the NICU environment, with fewer interruptions in the vocalization than in speech, besides having a calming effect on the mothers themselves. This study extends knowledge about the use of maternal vocalizations in the NICU, especially as a form of protection for the mother-infant dyad, and reinforces the importance of interventions that make use of the voice in this context, such as music therapy.

in prep