A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Maternal Anxiety and Fetal Well-Being Among Primigravida Mothers During Non-Stress Tests at Selected Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangalore

Pregnancy brings joy but also anxiety, especially for first-time mothers facing physical and emotional changes. Anxiety and stress often overlap, impacting maternal and fetal well-being. Safe treatments are crucial, and soothing music can promote relaxation. With its soft melody and rhythm, music is an affordable, self-managed tool - women may find comfort in classical tunes like Kalyani raga.

The study focused on measuring maternal anxiety levels before intervention in first-time mothers participating in non-stress tests (NST). It aimed to determine the impact of music therapy on both maternal anxiety and fetal well-being by comparing results from a control group with those from an experimental group. Additionally, the study intended to examine the relationship between maternal anxiety and various demographic variables among primigravida mothers during the NST procedure.

This study used a real experimental design and a pre-experimental quantitative research method to look into how music therapy affected the anxiety of the mother and the health of the baby during non-stress tests. Sixty women who had never been pregnant were randomly put into either a study group or a control group. The State-Trait Worry Inventory (STAI) was used to measure the worry of the mother, and NST interpretation was done. The experimental group got NST and music therapy at the same time, while the control group got regular care. Post-intervention anxiety and fetal well-being were evaluated. Experts validated the tool and analyzed the results using inferential and descriptive statistics.

At pre-intervention, both groups showed high degrees of state anxiety; 73.33% (n=22) of the experimental group and 83.33% (n=25) of the control group above the threshold. Moreover, a good number of participants showed high trait anxiety: 33.33% (n=10) in the control group and 53.33% (n=16) in the experimental group. Comparatively to the control group, the experimental group showed a mean state anxiety level of 42.40 during the NST operation. State anxiety levels revealed a statistically significant variance (t = 8.67, p < 0.05). Accelerations and fetal motions were similar; baseline fetal heart rate and variability across the two groups did not show any appreciable variations. Despite the absence of statistically significant differences in fetal well-being, music therapy effectively reduced maternal anxiety during the NST.

The study's results indicated a statistically significant decrease (p <0.05) in maternal anxiety among primigravid participants in the experimental group relative to the control group. Conversely, no statistically significant difference was identified in fetal well-being between the two groups. Additionally, no significant association was found between pre-intervention maternal anxiety scores and selected demographic variables at the same significance level.