Music4DisplacedDyads
Funded by the Arnold Bentley New Initiatives Fund
Title: Music4DisplacedDyads: Small-group music therapy for Ukrainian refugee mother-toddler dyads
Recipient: Dr Fabia Franco and Dr Letitia Slabu
Date: 2023
Project:
Ukrainian women and children fleeing the war face high rates of trauma and loss, which have significant impacts on mental health. In this feasibility study, we co-designed an 8-week music therapy intervention for recently displaced Ukrainian families living in the UK to test research methods and procedures prior to a larger trial. This represents the first empirical study to examine the effects of an MT intervention on caregiver-infant (< 2.5 years old) dyads in the context of displacement, while also incorporating biomarker data collection. We used a mixed-methods design to test the effectiveness of the intervention simultaneously across both generations—caregivers and young children—by examining its mental health, parental, social, and physiological benefits, as well as parents’ experiences of the intervention.
The primary objective of the study is to develop a protocol for a viable intervention that can be scaled to larger studies and adapted to other refugee populations facing similar developmental challenges.
Outputs:
We reported the research components of our project in two articles (Hadar et al., 2025; Slabu et al., 2025), while the operational details involved in running the programme are detailed in Coombes et al. (2025). A short documentary film highlights the aims of the research and captures the experiences of Ukrainian caregivers participating in the intervention. Our work has also been disseminated at national and international conferences, including the European Music Therapy Confederation (Berlin, Germany, 2025; Coombes & Hadar) and the Welsh Crucible, University of South Wales (Newport, 2025; Coombes) and Buckinghamshire New University Research and Enterprise Conference (London, 2024; McGorrian).
Publications:
Coombes, E., Slabu, L., Mangiacotti, A., Hadar, T., & Franco, F. (2025). Music for displaced Dyads (M4DD): A Music Therapy Feasibility Study for Displaced Ukrainian Parents and their Pre-School Children. In L. Coombes (Ed.), Music therapy with displaced persons: Trauma, transformations, and cultural connections (pp. 212–232). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Hadar, T., Slabu, L., Franco, F., Fedotiuk, T., & Coombes, E. (2025). Music with Displaced Dyads: Ukrainian Parents’ Perspectives on a Music Therapy Group. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2025.2556425
Slabu L, Coombes E, Mangiacotti AMA, Hadar T and Franco F (2025). Music for displaced dyads: a mixed methods feasibility study on the impact of music therapy on the mental health and wellbeing of Ukrainian refugee families. Front. Psychiatry 16:1707023. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1707023
Press Conference showcasing the short documentary film:
MDX research shows Music Therapy can improve emotional wellbeing and cognitive function of displaced adults – date: 26th of October 2023.
Presentations:
Coomes, E. My Research Journey, Welsh Crucible, University of South Wales, Newport, November, 19, 2025.
Coombes, E., & Hadar, T. Creating Bridges for Ukrainian Refugees Relocating to a New Country: Qualitative Results of a London-based Child-parent Music Therapy Group, European Music Therapy Confederation, Hamburg, Germany, July 23-25, 2025.
Poster:
McGorrian, T. Music4DisplacedDyads: Dilemmas in Documentary Filmmaking within a sensitive environment, Buckinghamshire New University Research and Enterprise Conference, 2024
Future:
We further advanced this work by extending the intervention to an ambitious 12-week program (informed by the invaluable insights of Ukrainian mothers), incorporating a rigorously designed control group, and applying the intervention to a non-Western population (Afghan sample) to broaden its scope and generalizability.
Thanks:
We extend our sincere gratitude to Sempre for placing their trust in this project and funding it, enabling a significant and wide-reaching impact. Their timely assistance and confidence in our work have been truly inspiring and invaluable. We also wish to thank our participants for their invaluable contributions, and willingness to engage with the project, which were essential to its success.
Acknowledgment:
It is with deep sorrow that we remember our colleague, Fabia Franco. Her boundless energy, passion, and curiosity not only paved the way for this work but continue to shine as an enduring inspiration for all of us and for the wider scientific community. Sempre’s Fabia Franco Award stands as a testament to her remarkable contributions, lasting legacy, and the profound impact she had on colleagues and the field of music therapy.