This PhD project being conducted at Queen’s University Belfast by Corinna Colella, Dr Jenny McNeill and Dr Fiona Lynn, focuses on exploring the feasibility of a novel music and social support group intervention; Mamas in Harmony, carried out with new mothers and babies aged 4 months old and under.

In 2023; 72 mothers were recruited onto a pilot randomised controlled trial with 48 randomly allocated to attend Mamas in Harmony sessions, comprising of group singing and facilitated social time with refreshments, and 24 to a comparator group. Each Mamas in Harmony session lasted 1 hour per week for 8 weeks and was held at a community venue in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Feasibility data was collected on –
– recruiting and retaining mothers to the study
– mental health-related outcomes across a 6 month period
– expectations and satisfaction with Mamas in Harmony sessions and any recommendations for improvements (mothers who attended the sessions)

The recruitment rate of mothers was faster than anticipated, withdrawals from the study were low (<20%) and adherence to the intervention was high (>80%). Improvements in outcomes related to mood, parenting confidence, perceived social support, health related quality of life, anxiety and stress showed promise of effect for mothers attending Mamas in Harmony sessions when compared to the controls. In a process evaluation conducted alongside the pilot RCT, mothers attending Mamas in Harmony reported feeling supported and connected to others, feeling relaxed, welcomed, positive and happy.

Further data analysis is currently ongoing. It is hoped this project can be scaled up across the UK and delivered to a larger sample of the population in a full RCT research project to test for efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

Further details can be accessed HERE.