VOLUME 3 , ISSUE 1 ( January-April, 2017 ) > List of Articles
Tintu Xavier
Citation Information : Xavier T. Effect of Music Therapy on Labor Pain among Women in Active Labor admitted in Tertiary Care Hospital, Kochi City. J Recent Adv Pain 2017; 3 (1):3-6.
DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10046-0058
Published Online: 01-06-2015
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2017; The Author(s).
The pain associated with the birth of baby is perceived as severe, unpleasant, and traumatizing by women. It is an individualized phenomenon with both sensory and emotional elements. Labor pain arises from distension of the lower uterine segment and cervical dilatation. Anxiety and pain are closely interrelated. Providing comfort to women in labor is still a challenge for the nurse midwives. The present study intends to assess the effect of music therapy on labor pain and anxiety among women in first stage of labor in a tertiary care hospital in Kochi. Quasi-experimental pretest– posttest control group design was used for the study. The sample consisted of 40 women in active stage of labor, with cervical dilatation of 4 to 7 cm. The first 20 women were allotted to control group and the next 20 to experimental group in order to avoid contamination. Background information was collected using semi-structured interview and record review. Visual analog scale was used to measure pain and anxiety. After the pretest measurement of pain and anxiety the women in the experimental group were given music therapy for 30 minutes using headset. The posttest was done at the 30th and 60th minute after the pretest. The mean posttest pain score of the experimental group (7.9) was significantly lower than the posttest score of the control group at the 30th minute (5.75 ± 0.44 vs 8.55 ± 0.51, p < 0.001) and 60th minute (7.9 ± 0.45 vs 8.7 ± 0.47, p < 0.001). No difference was observed in uterine contraction between the groups. The mean anxiety score of the experimental group was lower than the control group (p < 0.001). The result of the present study concludes that music therapy is effective in reducing pain and anxiety of women in labor without affecting uterine contractions. So music can be used as a nonpharmacological pain management measure for providing comfort during labor. Xavier T, Viswanath L. Effect of Music Therapy on Labor Pain among Women in Active Labor admitted in Tertiary Care Hospital, Kochi City. J Recent Adv Pain 2017;3(1):3-6.