“SoundArt”: Alanus University’s multicenter study investigates art and music therapy for high-risk pregnancies

For the first time, the research project is investigating how effective art and music therapy are for pregnant women with medical complications.

Under the title “SoundArt – Promoting Prenatal Bonding through Art and Music Therapy,” a research project by Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Essen University Hospital, and MSH Medical School Hamburg is, for the first time, investigating the effectiveness of art and music therapy for pregnant women with medical complications within the framework of a multicenter, randomized controlled study. The aim is to reduce the stress experienced by hospitalized pregnant women and to strengthen the prenatal bond between mother and child. To carry out the study, the project team is seeking participating art and music therapists as well as gynecology and obstetrics clinics.

Pregnancies with medical complications are often associated with significantly increased psychological stress. Uncertainty, physical limitations, hospital stays, and concerns about the unborn child can lead to persistent stress, anxiety, and feelings of loss of control. This stress affects not only the mother but also the child. This is where the “SoundArt” project comes in. By combining art therapy and music therapy methods, the project focuses on stabilizing the mother’s well-being and reducing stress. Building on this, bonding-oriented approaches follow, such as a guided “journey to the baby” or artistic work with ultrasound images. Music therapy elements, including resonant instruments such as the Sansula, accompany the processes and support relaxation, emotional regulation, and inner awareness. The primary objective of the study is to reduce maternal stress during the hospital stay.

The project was initiated by Dr. Petra Saltuari, Professor of Art Therapy at Alanus University, together with Dr. Susann Kobus, project head of the Center for Artistic Therapies at Essen University Hospital, music therapist, private lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen, and research associate at Alanus University, as well as Dr. Anne-Katrin Jordan, Professor of Music Therapy at MSH Medical School Hamburg. Collaboration with several clinics is planned in order to achieve a sufficiently large sample. “Pregnancy is a highly sensitive phase in which stress, anxiety, and uncertainty can affect not only the mother but also the unborn child. With ‘SoundArt,’ we want to intervene precisely at this point and create a therapeutic space that promotes stability, relationships, and self-efficacy,” says Petra Saltuari.

A central component of “SoundArt” is the interdisciplinary collaboration between art and music therapists, physicians, and nursing staff. Through a structured exchange, the interventions are to be meaningfully integrated into everyday clinical practice and understood not as an additional service, but as part of the overall treatment. The project is designed as a multicenter study, thus taking clinics at different locations into account. In the long term, “SoundArt” sees itself as a model project for the professional policy recognition of Artistic Therapies in the medical field. High-quality scientific data is intended to help anchor these forms of therapy sustainably in clinical care.

The project is currently funded through donations. The funds are needed to deploy art and music therapists in clinics where no corresponding positions currently exist. Clinics, professional colleagues, and supporters are invited to participate in the implementation and support the project.

If you would like to participate in the project, please contact the project team:
Prof. Dr. Petra Saltuari, Alanus University of Arts and Design: petra.saltuari@alanus.edu,
PD. Dr. Susann Kobus, Center for Artistic Therapies, Essen University Hospital: Susann.Kobus@uk-essen.de,
Prof. Dr. Anne-Katrin Jordan, MSH Medical School Hamburg: anne-katrin.jordan@medicalschool-hamburg.de.

A donation account has also been set up to provide financial support for the project:
Donation account:
Essen University Hospital
DE09370205000500050005
Reference: SoundArt

Photo: Susann Kobus

Contact for press inquiries:
+49 (0)2222 9321-1944
presse@alanus.edu

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