The effects of music on the selected stress behaviors, weight, caloric and formula intake and length of hospital stay of premature and low birth weight neonates on a newborn intensive care unit

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music on selected stress behaviors, weight, caloric and formula intake, and legth of hospital stay. Subjects were 52 preterm and low birth weight newborns in a newborn intensive care unit (NBICU) who were in stable condition and restricted to isolettes. Subjects in the experimental and control groups were matched for equivalency based on sex, birth weight, and critical level. Eleven males and fifteen females were assigned to the control group and received routine auditory stimuli. The experimental group of eleven males and fifteen females received music stimulation which consisted of approximately sixty minutes of tape recorded vocal music, including lullabies and children's music, and routine auditory stimulation. Thirty minute segments of the recording were played alternately with thirty minutes of routine auditory stimulation three times daily. Exposure to music stimulation occured only during the infants' stay in the NBICU. Results suggest music stimulation may have significantly reduced initial weight loss, increased daily average weight, increased formula and caloric intake, significantly reduced length of the NBICU and the total hospital stays, and significantly reduced the daily group mean of stress behaviors for the experimental group. Data analysis suggests the length of hospital stay may be correlated to the amount of stress experienced by the neonate and not to weight gains. Theoretical and practical aspects of these results are discussed.

Note: new-born-intensive-care-unit, music-stimulation.

Keyword(s): Stress-behaviors, weight, caloric-intake, neonate, length-of-hospital-stay, premature, low-birth-weight,

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