This is a recurring event: View all events in the series “Music Research Seminars”
Abstract
Mental health problems in the perinatal period are a particular challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and can affect both the mother and her developing child. It is therefore a high priority to develop new, low-cost, non-stigmatising, and culturally appropriate approaches to support maternal mental health.
Musical care - the role of music, including both music listening and music-making, in supporting people’s developmental or health needs - has been shown to enhance the mental health and well-being of parents and their families around the world. Musical care may be particularly useful in cultural contexts where musical practices that engage pregnant women and new mothers already exist, and where music is a familiar part of health and social relationships.
This talk will first discuss how CHIME (Community Health Intervention through Music Engagement), a programme designed to support perinatal mental health, was developed and tested for feasibility in The Gambia.
It will then explore how the CHIME intervention is being adapted and expanded to new cultural contexts, specifically in parts of South Africa and Lesotho. The talk will conclude with a discussion of the future of this work and how similar approaches may help address the mental health needs of parents and families around the world.
About the speaker
Dr Katie Rose Mahon Sanfilippo is a Presidential Research Fellow at the School of Health and Medical Sciences, City St George’s, University of London. She is based within the Centre for Health and Care Innovation Research and leads the Arts & Health Lab.
Her research explores how music and the arts can support health and wellbeing. Currently, she focuses on scaling and sustaining community- and arts-based health interventions, particularly in resource-constrained settings both in the UK and globally.
She is also the co-founder of the Musical Care International Network and the Music for Parental Wellbeing Alliance.
The Music Research Seminars are hosted by the Department of Performing Arts at City St George’s, University of London and SPARC research centre (Sound Practice and Research at City St George’s). They bring together world-leading artists, practitioners, and scholars in the broad fields of music and sound.
Seminars are open to the public in person and online. Please register to attend and receive a Zoom link.
Attendance at City St George's events is subject to our terms and conditions.