Perkins, R. and Sanfilippo, K. R. M. (2025) Arts and perinatal mental health. In: Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health. Routledge. ISBN 9781032546957 (hardback) 9781003429814 (e-book) (In Press)
Abstract
This chapter explores the potential roles of the arts in supporting people during the perinatal period, including pregnancy, childbirth, and the first two years postnatally. The importance of supporting parents with mental health conditions as well as facilitating parental wellbeing is highlighted, and a review of existing evidence from across music, the visual arts, dance, and drama is presented. Acknowledging that many arts activities are multimodal, the chapter concludes with an example of a group music and dance intervention developed in The Gambia. While the evidence base is still growing in terms of quantity and quality, the chapter posits that there is clear potential for the arts to play a role in perinatal mental health, arguing that considerations of reach and inclusion will be paramount to future work.
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