Abstract

Asylum-seeking prenatal women (ASPW) are an emerging vulnerable population worldwide, facing unique physiological and psychological challenges within a dual context of being asylum-seekers who are pregnant. Given their multifaceted needs during precarious resettlement periods, a broader context-based approach, rather than the current medical approach, could provide much more comprehensive support. While the literature indicates that music therapy can be used to promote health and wellbeing, no research has been conducted to date on how music therapy may help ASPW. Using an adapted intervention research methodology, this study examined how an open-group music therapy program can be designed to address the needs of ASPW during their resettlement period. A directed qualitative content analysis of related literature in music therapy and other relevant fields revealed that the main challenges of ASPW during their resettlement were poor health and absence of perceived feelings of wellbeing. Poor health was described as a lack of three dimensions of health: (a) absence of disease, (b) positive personal experience in one’s life, and (c) quality in the relationship between a person and their surroundings. The analysis also revealed multiple risk and protective factors, as well as potential malleable mediators inherent to the wellbeing of ASPW during the period of their resettlement. These findings combined with relevant music therapy literature and the researcher’s perspectives (based on her clinical experience), resulted in a proposed action strategy and theory of change that informed the development of an open-group music therapy program design for ASPW that was conceptualized within a Community Music Therapy approach. Limitations of the research are presented along with implications for practice and future research.