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Kristine Joy L Ricafort-Acera
University of the Philippines Manila, Philippines
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Appl Food Sci J
Background: Childbirth is a painful process especially to primipara. When the body is out of equilibrium, stress occurs. Anxiety is a response of the body when put into new situation or perceived change. Music provides relaxation to the body, however music therapy as pain management has very limited study in the Philippines. Thus, this study examines the significant effect of music therapy to the pain and anxiety level during active phase of labor.
Methods: This is a quasi-experiment which utilized purposive sampling. Participants (n=20) were assigned to control (n=10) and experimental (n=10) groups respectively. Pre-test and post test on pain and anxiety level were assessed to both group during their active phase of labor. Pain level was measured using Numerical Pain Scale and State Trait Anxiety Inventory translated in Filipino by Cada for the anxiety level. The experimental group received the routine nursing care and were exposed to music therapy (piano classical music by Beethoven) for two hours duration, while the control group received only routine nursing care.
Results: Both groups were similar in age bracket (20-25), no income and Roman Catholic, however, differ in marital status and educational attainment. Pre-test pain level in control group revealed severe pain (50%) and (90%) experimental group. Pre-test anxiety level in control group had a weighted mean of 42.8 and 44.2 in experimental group both under moderate level. Post test pain level in control group had (70%) severe pain and (50%) both severe and worst in experimental group. Post anxiety level in control group had lowered its score by 0.6 from 42.8 to a weighted mean of 42.2 and experimental group had also lowered by 1.4 from pre-test to a weighted mean of 42.9, though both groups remained in moderate anxiety level. Pre-test (-1.223) and post test (-1.546) pain level between control and experimental group set at 0.01 significant level had no significant difference. Pre-test (-0.6715) and post test (-02916) anxiety level between control and experimental group set at 0.01 significant level had no significant difference.
Conclusion: Music therapy had no significant effect on the pain and anxiety level experienced during active phase of labor in pimipara.
Recommendations: Effectiveness of relaxation brought by music therapy highly depends on how patients accept the intervention and cannot be possible when heard only once. Music therapy can result to relaxation of the body only through conditioning of the mind. Further studies are needed on music preferences during active phase of labor, pain threshold and correlation of pain and anxiety level and different setting such as private hospitals or lying-in clinics.
