A new multicenter research project investigates the effectiveness of art and music therapy in pregnant women with medical complications. The aim is to reduce maternal stress during inpatient stays and to strengthen the prenatal bond between mother and child. The project “KlangKunst – Prenatal Attachment Promotion through Art and Music Therapy” is carried out by the Alanus University of Applied Sciences for Art and Society, the University Medical Center Essen and the MSH Medical School Hamburg and follows a randomized controlled study design.

Pregnancies with complications are often accompanied by a high level of psychological stress – due to insecurity, physical limitations, inpatient stays and worry about the child. This stress has a negative effect on mother and child. This is where the project comes in: Art and music therapy interventions (including resonant instruments such as the Sansula, guided “journey to the baby”, work with ultrasound images) are intended to stabilise well-being, reduce stress and promote emotional regulation and inner perception.

Project management:

• Dr. Petra Saltuari (Professor of Art Therapy, Alanus University)
• Dr. Susann Kobus (Music Therapist, Center for Artistic Therapies, University Hospital Essen; Associate Professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen)
• Dr. Anne-Katrin Jordan (Professor of Music Therapy, MSH Medical School Hamburg)

The study is multi-centre and is currently looking for participating gynaecology and obstetrics clinics as well as art and music therapists. The interventions are to be integrated into everyday hospital life in a structured way – as an integral part of treatment, not as an additional offer.

In the long term, “KlangKunst” is intended to provide high-quality scientific evidence as a model project in order to sustainably anchor artistic therapies in the clinical care of high-risk pregnancies and to strengthen them in terms of professional policy.

The project is currently financed exclusively by donations. These funds are mainly used to finance therapists in clinics without corresponding positions. Clinics, professionals and sponsors are invited to participate.

A donation account has also been set up to provide financial support for the project:

Donation account:
University Medical Center Essen
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Keyword: Sound Art

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.