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Defining Attachment and Bonding: Overlaps, Differences and Implications for Music Therapy Clinical Practice and Research in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Author

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  • Mark Ettenberger

    (Department of Music Therapy, University Hospital Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Bogotá 110111, Colombia
    SONO—Centro de Musicoterapia, Bogotá 110221, Colombia)

  • Łucja Bieleninik

    (Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, 80-309 Gdansk, Poland
    GAMUT—The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, 5029 Bergen, Norway)

  • Shulamit Epstein

    (School for Creative Arts Therapies, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel)

  • Cochavit Elefant

    (School for Creative Arts Therapies, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel)

Abstract

Preterm birth and the subsequent hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a challenging life event for parents and babies. Stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, limitations in holding or touching the baby, and medical complications during the NICU stay can negatively affect parental mental health. This can threaten the developing parent-infant relationship and might adversely impact child development. Music therapy in the NICU is an internationally growing field of clinical practice and research and is increasingly applied to promote relationship building between parents and babies. The two most commonly used concepts describing the early parent-infant relationship are ‘attachment’ and ‘bonding’. While frequently used interchangeably in the literature, they are actually not the same and describe distinctive processes of the early relationship formation. Thus, it is important to discuss the overlaps and differences between attachment and bonding and the implications for music therapy clinical practice and research. Whereas providing examples and possible scenarios for music therapists working on either bonding or attachment, the distinction between both concepts is relevant for many health care professionals concerned with early parenting interventions in the NICU. This will hopefully lead to a more precise use of theory, and ultimately, to a more informed clinical practice and research.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Ettenberger & Łucja Bieleninik & Shulamit Epstein & Cochavit Elefant, 2021. "Defining Attachment and Bonding: Overlaps, Differences and Implications for Music Therapy Clinical Practice and Research in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-10, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:1733-:d:497365
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Crouch, Mira & Manderson, Lenore, 1995. "The social life of bonding theory," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 837-844, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ilona Poćwierz-Marciniak & Michał Harciarek, 2021. "The Effect of Musical Stimulation and Mother’s Voice on the Early Development of Musical Abilities: A Neuropsychological Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    2. Soo-Yeon Kim & Ah Rim Kim, 2022. "Attachment- and Relationship-Based Interventions during NICU Hospitalization for Families with Preterm/Low-Birth Weight Infants: A Systematic Review of RCT Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-13, January.
    3. Karianne E. Kraft & Artur C. Jaschke & Anne-Greet Ravensbergen & Annet Feenstra-Weelink & Maud E. L. van Goor & Marlou L. A. de Kroon & Sijmen A. Reijneveld & Arend F. Bos & Nienke H. van Dokkum, 2021. "Maternal Anxiety, Infant Stress, and the Role of Live-Performed Music Therapy during NICU Stay in The Netherlands," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-13, July.
    4. Łucja Bieleninik & Mark Ettenberger & Shulamit Epstein & Cochavit Elefant & Shmuel Arnon, 2021. "Potential Psychological and Biological Mechanisms Underlying the Effectiveness of Neonatal Music Therapy during Kangaroo Mother Care for Preterm Infants and Their Parents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-12, August.

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