Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41737962›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2026

Development and reporting of a specialised antenatal music therapy intervention using the MRC framework and TIDieR checklist.

Pui Sze Cheung, Sylvia Murphy Tighe, Mas Mahady Mohamad, Triona McCaffrey

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Pui Sze CheungHealth Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Sylvia Murphy TigheHealth Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Mas Mahady MohamadSpecialist Perinatal Mental Health Service, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Triona McCaffreyHealth Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Perinatal mental health can significantly impact parental and infant wellbeing. Music interventions have shown promise in improving perinatal wellbeing during pregnancy. However, research in this area remains scarce, and very few structured music therapy programmes have been developed and reported in sufficient detail to enable replication and implementation in clinical settings. This article aims to describe the development process of a novel Specialised Antenatal Music Therapy (SAMT) intervention and provide a detailed report of this using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) 12-point checklist. Methods: Guided by the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing complex interventions, SAMT was developed through a systematic, evidence-based, theory-driven, and stakeholder-informed process. This included: (1) assembling a multidisciplinary expert team, (2) reviewing existing research evidence and antenatal music therapy protocols, (3) understanding the context and engaging stakeholders through research and co-creation, (4) drawing on existing theories and techniques to facilitate treatment outcomes, and (5) evaluating the feasibility and efficacy through a proof-of-concept study. Results: This systematic approach resulted in the development of SAMT - a novel music therapy programme for pregnant women attending a Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (SPMHS) in Ireland. SAMT consists of six weekly individual music therapy sessions, each lasting 45-60 minutes, delivered either online or in-person at the SPMHS outpatient clinic in a central location. Key components include music-assisted relaxation, identifying a bonding song, musical bonding, song discussion, songwriting, creating pregnancy/birth playlists, and creative music making. Early feasibility testing indicated that the intervention was acceptable and well received by participants. Discussion/conclusion: Using the TIDieR checklist to report complex interventions provides a structured, systematic way of conveying necessary detail. This method enables music therapists, clinicians, and researchers to understand the SAMT's underlying rationale, theoretical foundation, delivery methods, and implementation considerations, facilitating replication, refinement, and integration into perinatal mental health services and research.

Indexed as

antenatal music therapyintervention developmentperinatal mental healthTIDieR checklistwomen’s health

Identifiers

PMID41737962
PMCPMC12926769

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.