Colleagues from CHIME and partners from the Perinatal Mental Health Project at the University of Cape Town, have published new research in PLOS Global Public Health, exploring how music could support perinatal mental health. The paper presents a formative study examining the feasibility of developing a culturally grounded, music-based intervention to support women during pregnancy and the first year after birth.
The recent study was conducted in South Africa, where perinatal depression, stress and anxiety affect an estimated 16 to 50 percent of women, and where access to formal mental health support remains limited. By working in a context where need is high and services are stretched, the research provides valuable insights into how low-cost, community-based models could be developed and adapted for use in different settings.
The team worked closely with community health workers, traditional healers, music experts, NGO leaders and healthcare professionals in the Eastern Cape, to adopt a community-based participatory approach to understand local priorities and explore how group music-making could offer meaningful support. The findings show how deeply music is embedded in social, spiritual and community life, and how collaborative singing can strengthen social connection, reduce stress and improve emotional wellbeing.
You can read the full open access article in PLOS Global Health here: https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0004878
This article was originally published on https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/news/2026/february/research-lays-foundations-for-major-perinatal-mental-health-programme/ on 27th February 2026.
