Liesbeth Matthijs

Shall we dance? Music as a port of entrance to maternal-infant intersubjectivity in a context of postnatal depression.

The present study introduces the concept of a mother-infant group therapy that makes use of music, singing, and moving to establish maternal-infant intersubjectivity. It was conducted in a residential mother-baby unit for mothers with postnatal depression and their infants over a 5-week period. Maternal-infant intersubjectivity of four dyads in relation to the group dynamics were microanalyzed for Sessions 1 and 5. We made within-session (i.e., beginning-middle-end) and between-session (Session 1 vs. Session 5) comparisons for the number of intersubjectivity moments (ISMs), total time of intersubjectivity (IST), and the mean duration of ISMs on a dyadic (i.e., own mother/infant involved) and a nondyadic level (i.e., own mother/infant not involved). In addition, three ISM levels (degree of group contribution) were distinguished. The results indicated a significant increase of ISMs/IST from Session 1 to Session 5. Within-session analyses showed that ISMs/IST significantly decreased through Session 1 and remained stable throughout Session 5. Intersubjectivity occurred mainly on ISM Level 1 during Session 1 and on ISM Level 3 during Session 5, suggesting increased dyadic autonomy and self-efficacy. The results are discussed in relation to the musical characteristics of mother-infant dyads, music improvisation techniques, group processes, and intersubjective development.

Analysing care-related decisions in parents of congenitally deaf children: introduction of an explanatory model

Research into issues of deafness is characterised by the dominance of the medical model of disability. Although social and cultural-linguistic models have received increasing attention from scholars, they have been used mainly in theoretical debate. Empirical application has been limited. Based on our comprehensive research project into the care-related decisions of parents of congenitally deaf children in Flanders, Belgium, an explanatory model for care-related parental decisions was constructed, which transcends the specific findings generated by our studies. This model is presented and discussed in this paper. Illustrations are provided based on our empirical findings.