Music Intervention for Preterm Birth

The Impact of a Culturally-based Live Music Intervention on the Metabolites and Metabolic Pathways Associated With Chronic Stress and the Risk of Pre-term Birth in Black Women

This study will test a music intervention (MI) versus a sham control (SC) arm which only includes a verbal intervention, to determine if the effects of the music intervention will reduce the biological impact of chronic stress among pregnant Black women, reduce preterm birth, and improve infant outcomes.

Preterm birth occurs at unacceptably high rates in the United States, with Black women disproportionately affected. A long-recognized risk factor for preterm birth in this population is the relentless exposure to intersectional stress related to racial and sexual discrimination, poverty, and neighborhood disadvantage that Black women often experience from an early age. In this interdisciplinary study, the investigators bring together experts in preterm birth, music therapy, and metabolomics to address this health disparity by testing the efficacy of a live, culturally based music intervention to reduce the production of metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with chronic stress and thereby improve birth outcomes.

Chronic stress, Preterm birth, Black women stress, Metabolomics of chronic stress, Music and medicine, Music intervention

Music therapist will meet individually with each participant to provide music therapy by asking women to sing a song meaningful to them.

Music/Verbal therapist will meet individually with each participant but will provide verbal discourse only (i.e., no music therapy and verbal intervention only).

The intervention will be to support a woman to talk about anything she wants that is important to her.

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a 10-item scale that was developed to measure the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. PSS scores are obtained by reversing responses (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1 & 4 = 0) to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, & 8) and then summing across all scale items. Scores range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a 10-item scale that was developed to measure the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. PSS scores are obtained by reversing responses (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1 & 4 = 0) to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, & 8) and then summing across all scale items. Scores range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a 10-item scale that was developed to measure the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. PSS scores are obtained by reversing responses (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1 & 4 = 0) to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, & 8) and then summing across all scale items. Scores range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.

Inclusion Criteria Aged 18 to 40 years Generally healthy pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy Exclusion Criteria: Non-pregnant women Women with a chronic medical condition that could impact pregnancy health or duration Women regularly taking any medications other than prenatal vitamins

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared, but de-identified composite data with be shared with authorized recipients at the end of the study.