Effects of Music Intervention during Cesarean Section on the Level of
the Mother’s Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Study
Abstract
Background: Anxiety is commonly experienced during the delivery process
and has been shown to have adverse effects on maternal and infant health
outcomes. Music interventions tend to mitigate the effects of anxiety in
a variety of populations, are low-cost and easily accessible, and have
high acceptability. The aim of this study is to evaluate the
effectiveness of music intervention on expectant mothers’ vital signs
and anxiety levels during cesarean section. Methods: This study is a
single-center, controlled, randomized study. The women in the
intervention group listened to music via earpieces during the operation.
The control group received standard treatment without music. Cesarean
section was performed under regional anesthesia. The State-Trait Anxiety
Inventory (STAI) was administered to the patients before and after the
operation. Results: There was no significant difference between the pre-
and postoperative systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure,
heart rate, respiratory rate, or O2 saturation parameters of the music
group and the control group (p>0.05). The pre-operative
STAI anxiety score was similar in the music (45.58±4.60) and control
(43.82±4.33) groups (p=0.183). After the operation, the anxiety score of
the music group (35.88±5.39) was found to be statistically significantly
lower than the anxiety score of the control group (42.14±3.75)
(p<0.001). Conclusion: This study supports the hypothesis that
slow, rhythmic Sufi music during cesarean section can reduce patients’
anxiety. It is possible to distract the patient from negative thoughts
and reduce stress. The results show that patients who listened to music
during surgery had significantly lower anxiety levels than patients who
did not listen to music.