The Effect of Music Played During the Postoperative Period on Pain and Anxiety Levels in Women Who Underwent Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Postpartum women undergoing cesarean section often experience significant levels of anxiety and pain, which can negatively affect recovery and maternal-infant bonding. In addition to pharmacological methods, non-pharmacological strategies such as music listening may play an important role in supporting women during this period. In this study, 110 women who had undergone cesarean delivery were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Starting at the 24th postpartum hour until the 48th hour, women in the intervention group listened to relaxing classical instrumental music (e.g., works by Mozart, Vivaldi, and Debussy) for 15 minutes every hour. The control group received no intervention. Participants' demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form, while postpartum anxiety and pain perception were assessed with the Postpartum-Specific Anxiety Scale (PSAS) and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). The primary outcome was anxiety, and the secondary outcome was pain perception. The study sought to assess whether a music-based, culturally appropriate, non-pharmacological intervention could be an effective component of routine postpartum care following cesarean delivery.