NIHR grant supports research into how musical practices can enhance perinatal mental health

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) has awarded a major grant of over £2.8 million to the University of Roehampton and Stellenbosch University for a four-year research project. Community Health Interventions through Musical Engagement (CHIME) for Maternal Mental Health brings together researchers from the UK, South Africa, The Gambia, Lesotho, and Australia to investigate how culturally embedded musical practices can support perinatal mental health in three African countries. The project is co-led by Professor Lauren Stewart, Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Roehampton and ‪Professor Sarah Skeen, Professor of Global Health at the Institute for Life Course Health Research at Stellenbosch University.

Poor maternal mental health is a major global health challenge.  Up to one in five women experience mental health conditions during or after pregnancy, which not only affects a mother’s physical health and well-being but also increases her risk for birth complications and can negatively affect the health and development of her child. Mental health problems during the perinatal period are more likely in low and middle-income contexts because of risks that women often face in these settings, such as poverty, migration, emergency and conflict situations.

Globally, there is an urgent need for accessible, community-based interventions to promote well-being and to prevent mental health conditions among mothers during pregnancy and after birth. CHIME (Community Health Intervention through Musical Engagement), which originated in the Gambia, West Africa, involves group-based participatory music-making, delivered by local women’s groups (termed Kanyeleng) within community settings. Evidence has demonstrated that music and singing are effective in lifting mood, fostering social connections and allowing basic health messages to be communicated and shared, which are the three principles underpinning the intervention. In the Gambia, music-centered approaches hold particular promise due to the existence of a range of musical practices that specifically engage pregnant women and new mothers.

Following a period of formative work, the NIHR funding will allow the team to rigorously test the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and proposed mechanisms of action of the CHIME intervention in the Gambia, as well as adapting the intervention to additional new contexts in South Africa and Lesotho where participatory music is also an important part of culture and daily life.

Professor Lauren Stewart emphasized that considerations of culture have been a key driver in the work: the pre-existing cultural and creative practices seen in the Gambia provide an excellent foundation for this music-based intervention; it’s inclusive, it’s great fun, and its empowering, not only for the women who receive it but also for the groups who deliver it.

The new project explores how CHIME can be adapted to other settings. We will work closely with mothers and community members in Khayelitsha, where our research team is based, to develop a South African version of CHIME, and explore opportunities for further adaptation and expansion in different districts of Lesotho."

Sarah Skeen, Professor of Global Health at Institute for Life Course Health Research, Stellenbosch University​​​​​​​