The Effects of Music on Fear of Childbirth and Outcome of Delivery
- Conditions
- Fear of Childbirth
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Music
- Registration Number
- NCT01687907
- Lead Sponsor
- Helsinki University Central Hospital
- Brief Summary
The aim of this trial is to find out if active music listening during pregnancy and delivery reliefs fear of childbirth, pain in delivery, need for analgesia during delivery and if there is an effect on delivery complications. Also we try to find out if there is any influence on mother-baby relationship.
- Detailed Description
In Finland fear of childbirth is one of the common reasons for consultation of obstetrician and mother´s demand on elective caesarean section. Approximately 5-8% of pregnant women suffer from severe fear of childbirth, which disturbs their family-life and working and prevents normal preparation to childbirth and parenthood.
Listening or playing music is very common in all cultures. Even fetuses are able to hear and recognize music and babies are interested in voices and sounds of music.
Music therapy has been used in other purposes widely. It is known that music stimulates the synthesis of dopamine in brain and it has been shown that music has an influence on hypertensive rats, lowering their blood pressure. In human beings there has been pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain. It has also been shown that music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke.
A strong attachment between mother and infant is essential to child's normal developement. Mothers who suffer from very strong fear of childbirth often have difficulties in mother-infant relationship and pronounced risk of puerperal depression.
Many features in listening and playing music have something to do in bonding together in societies. Lullabies are good example of communication between parent and infant.
There has been some trials about music therapy and pregnancy but not systematic randomized trials about listening to music and its influence on pain experience, length of delivery or complications of delivery. Music has a relaxing influence on human beings and we assume that it has a positive influence on pregnant women also.
We try to find out if active listening to music has any influence on physical and mental wellbeing of pregnant women or is there any influence on fear of childbirth, outcome of delivery or mother-baby relationship.
Pregnant women referred to the outpatient clinic because of fear of childbirth have also normal appointments with obstetrician and/or midwife as needed and participating this trial has no influence on those appointments.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- UNKNOWN
- Sex
- Female
- Target Recruitment
- 800
- fear of childbirth in arms 1 and 2,
- nulliparous in arms 3 and 4
- not able to answer the questionnaires
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Fear of childbirth, music Music Patients referred to the motherhood out-patient clinic because of fear of childbirth. Advised to active music listening. Followed up by weekly and monthly diaries and three questionnaires (when recruiting, just after the delivery and 6 months after the delivery). Nulliparous, music Music 300 nulliparous women recruited from the ultrasound screening. Advised to active music listening. Three questionnaires like the other arms, weekly and monthly diaries like the other music group. Screening questionnaires about fear of childbirth.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method spontaneous vaginal delivery day of delivery delivery data collected from the patient records afterwards
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Delivery satisfaction within three days after delivery (before leaving the postpartum ward) specific questionnaires
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Helsinki University Central Hospital
🇫🇮Helsinki, HUS, Finland